In yesterday's edition of the HC we learned that former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee had the hard drive on 83 computers and four servers crushed on his way out of town. The ostensible reason for the $350,000 destruction of State property was to protect personal information relating to employees. Presumably, Huckabee would have us believe, he did not trust his successor to keep confidential information confidential.
One hard drive Huckabee had destroyed is of particular interest. That is the computer used by State Police at an airport hangar. No explanation of the nature of the personal information at the airport, which was so sensitive it had to be destroyed, was given. It is an interesting coincidence that the computer likely contained data which would cause Huckabee Giuliani type problems. The difference between Huckabee and Giuliani is that Huckabee's misuse of state property, personnel, and money was not to benefit a mistress.
During his tenure as governor Huckabee used the state plane, at taxpayer expense, to travel all over the country for his presidential campaign, to sell diet books, and for other non-state business. Keep in mind that Arkansas isn't California, it's population is less than three million and it is very poor. Hundreds of thousands of tax dollars wasted on the Governor's presidential campaign matters here. Huckabee must have been concerned enough that it would matter elsewhere that he was compelled destroyed the records of his recent travels.
It seems that Huckabee must have considered the destruction of the computers to be urgent because he used funds from a governor's discressionary disaster emergency fund. He must have figured if the data on the computers wasn't a disaster in the making, nothing was. Huckabee also used money from that fund to make a contribution to the Red Cross, who hired Huckabee's wife, Janet.
With all his faults, Huckabee doesn't like people talking about this, or his many other transgressions. While he was governor state computers were used to editWikipedia entries about his state plane use, his pressure to release a deranged rapist, as well as to tar opponents.
It is true that Huckabee was not prosecuted for any of this. The same can be said of George Bush's crimes, how meaningful is that?