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William Pryor's Confirmation Delayed Again

By Jeralyn, Section Judiciary
Posted on Thu Jul 17, 2003 at 11:05:03 PM EST
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Update: Ed Still of the excellent VoteLaw has more, concluding:

My hypothesis is that Bill Pryor was close-mouthed about his fundraising for [Republican Attorney General's Association] RAGA because it violated state law and his own office's interpretation of that law. Documents I have not seen and skillful cross-examination of Pryor and others may prove the hypothesis.

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The Senate was scheduled to vote Thursday on the confirmation of Alabama Attorney General William Pryor to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. It has been delayed again, this time due to Democrats' concerns about his answers to fundraising questions:

Mr. Pryor's nomination was set for a vote today but was postponed after the Democrats raised a new issue that has little to do with his conservative views. They say Mr. Pryor may have been untruthful in answers to the committee about his role in soliciting political donations from tobacco, drug, energy and banking corporations that are often investigated by states and their attorneys general.

According to documents discussed today at a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Mr. Pryor — along with a handful of other Republican state attorneys general — had solicited tens of thousands of dollars in donations from corporations. Some of the money appeared to have then been redirected through a national Republican campaign committee to help Mr. Pryor in his election campaign. The documents from the Republican attorneys general group suggest that Mr. Pryor was able to benefit indirectly from those donations without having them traced to his solicitations.

In his testimony before the committee on June 11 and in written answers to later questions, Mr. Pryor said he saw nothing wrong in raising money for a Republican attorneys general group. He also said he was unaware that any of the companies he solicited did business in Alabama and would therefore come under his jurisdiction as the state's chief law enforcement official.

Here are some reasons to oppose the confirmation of William Pryor.

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