Arkansas Governor Resigns After Impeachment Threat

Gov. Jim Guy Tucker resigned without restrictions Monday after the man succeeding him as governor threatened to call a special session of the state Legislature to impeach him.

The announcement followed a day of confusion, after Tucker first said he would give up his job temporarily, then reclaimed the office, then surrendered it again at 6 p.m. CDT after Lt. Gov. Mike Huckabee threatened to ask the Legislature to impeach him.

After his May 28 conviction for fraud and conspiracy, Tucker, a Democrat, said he would step down as governor. But Monday he reneged on the promise, saying his conviction for fraud and conspiracy amounted to a “temporary disability” under the state constitution and he would return to office if his appeal was successful.

Tucker telephoned Huckabee with the news five minutes before Huckabee was to be sworn in as the state’s 51st governor. He said Huckabee, a Republican who gave up a promising Senate campaign in anticipation of taking over, objected to his decision.

Late in the afternoon, Huckabee said he would call an emergency session of the Legislature if Tucker’s unconditional resignation wasn’t handed in by 9 a.m. today.

The state’s attorney general also sued Tucker in state court to seek his ouster.

The Arkansas Constitution allows a governor to give up the job temporarily because of “disabilities,” such as criminal convictions or medical problems. The governor retains the right to say when the disability is over.

Tucker had appealed his fraud and conspiracy conviction in the Whitewater trial because one of the jurors married a man who had been imprisoned on a narcotics case and was twice denied clemency by Tucker. The husband is also related to a well-known anti-Tucker activist. A ruling on the appeal is expected Aug. 19.

Tucker, who had 2 1/2 years remaining on his four-year term, will be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison if his appeal is denied.