Pubdate: Tue, 27 Aug 2002
Source: Amarillo Globe-News (TX)
Copyright: 2002 Amarillo Globe-News
Contact:  http://amarillonet.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/13
Author: Greg Cunningham

A.G. LAUNCHES TULIA BUST PROBE

AUSTIN - Facing mounting political pressure and a two-year U.S. Department 
of Justice probe that has yet to be concluded, Texas Attorney General John 
Cornyn on Monday decided to open a state investigation into the 
controversial 1999 Tulia drug bust.

Cornyn sent a letter to the DOJ Monday morning stating his intention to 
investigate the drug bust, which resulted in the arrests of 46 people, 39 
of whom were black, and plunged Tulia into the center of a national 
controversy.

"Although it is rare to have both state and federal law enforcement 
authorities investigating the same matter at the same time, I believe these 
circumstances warrant our opening a state investigation," Cornyn wrote in 
the letter.

"Therefore, I have instructed staff of my office to open an investigation 
into this matter and I have requested that the Texas Department of Public 
Safety (DPS) work with my office on this matter."

Cornyn said the slow-moving DOJ case motivated him to initiate his own 
investigation.

"There has been some confusion over whether there even was an ongoing 
investigation," Cornyn said. "I became concerned things had gotten bogged 
down."

Cornyn, citing the ongoing DOJ probe, did not act on a request from the 
American Civil Liberties Union last year that asked for a state 
investigation into the drug bust.

Cornyn's change of mind came as welcome news to Will Harrell, executive 
director of the Texas ACLU, who has been applying pressure for an 
investigation through testimony in front of legislative committees over the 
past few weeks.

"It demonstrates that they've reconsidered and are taking Tulia seriously," 
Harrell said. "We have no reason not to believe that they are genuine."

The news of the investigation also was welcomed by Swisher County Sheriff 
Larry Stewart, who said he is confident the attorney general's office will 
find no wrongdoing.

"We welcome the investigation," Stewart said "We intend to cooperate fully, 
as we have with the Department of Justice investigation.

"We look forward to yet another agency looking at what we did and finding 
that everything was done properly."

Jeff Blackburn, the attorney leading the local defense effort, responded 
with considerably less enthusiasm, however.

"This is too little and too late," Blackburn said. "Cornyn is clearly 
responding to political pressure that has been put on him.

"It's a political dodge. It's a smokescreen Cornyn has thrown up to cover 
up the fact that he has taken no action on this travesty of justice."

Blackburn said Cornyn should go beyond an investigation and take control of 
the cases from District Attorney Terry McEachern, then give all the 
defendants new trials.

McEachern could not be reached for comment Monday.

Harrell also called for Cornyn to take over the cases, but went even 
further, demanding prosecution of McEachern and the undercover agent who 
made the cases, Tom Coleman.

"They need to level prosecution against Terry McEachern and Tom Coleman and 
all those who were involved in this tragedy," Harrell said. "This cannot be 
another investigation that's going to go on forever. Enough time has gone 
onto this and action must be taken."

Cornyn is the Republican candidate for U.S. senate, running against 
Democrat Ron Kirk.
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