It’s AG Day in Scruggsiana newspapers - UPDATED

According to my friend The Google, this has been declared “Attorney General Day” in the Mississippi newspapers, so take your pick: Moore in the Sun Herald or Hood in the Clarion-Ledger and Jackson Free Press.

Down on the Coast, Anita Lee briefly covers Mike Moore’s entry as a defender of Zach Scruggs:

“I have known Zach Scruggs since he was a little boy,” Moore said in a written statement Monday. “He asked me to represent him should his case ever get to trial. Zach is innocent of the charges pressed against him, and we look forward to his exoneration.”

Four other defendants in the case, including Zach’s father, Dickie Scruggs, have pleaded guilty to one charge each of conspiring to bribe a state court judge. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum five years in prison, while Zach Scruggs could face up to 75 years if convicted on all six charges filed against each defendant in November.

“Zach is innocent and he’s unwilling to plead to something that he didn’t do,” said his lead defense attorney, Todd Graves of Kansas City. Graves is a former U.S. attorney, but Moore has little if any experience in federal criminal court, where Zach Scruggs will be tried. Moore did serve 16 years as Mississippi’s chief prosecutor after working as district attorney in Pascagoula. …

Anita also notes that, though Moore was Pascagoula’s DA for sixteen years, he has “little if any” experience in federal criminal practice. Her conclusion reverberates too:

Although the deadline for plea agreements was Monday, court observers said a change of plea can be accepted at a later date, should Zach Scruggs change his mind. Dickie Scruggs’ plea agreement did not include a provision that he cooperate by testifying in the case, but the other defendants did pledge to do so.

Meanwhile in Jackson, Jerry Mitchell writes up Jim Hood’s displeasure with the head MS GOPer (whose name supports no end of “Red Herring” remarks, and who’s also vexed the Jackson Free Press: Mississippi GOP Politicizes Scruggs Plea.) Reports Jerry:

Attorney General Jim Hood questioned the head of the state Republican Party’s motives in calling Monday for an independent counsel to investigate the relationship between him and trial lawyer Dickie Scruggs and his associates.

Hood said in a statement, “The federal government is handling these cases. The district attorneys of the state of Mississippi are, in essence, independent prosecutors, and my office has made available to them every resource we possess should they decide to pursue state charges.

“But given the Republican Party’s sudden pronouncement in this matter, the question must be asked: Has this entire sad and disappointing chapter in Mississippi history dissolved into ruinous partisan politics? For the sake of our citizens, I hope not.”

Although Mississippi law has no mechanism for appointing an independent counsel, Jim Herring, chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party, believes such a law should be adopted.

Herring having (a) announced that the state GOP will donate to charity the $27.5 thou that Dickie’s given it and (b) suggested that the MS Dems follow suit, we learn that:

Wayne Dowdy, chairman of Mississippi Democratic Party, rejected Herring’s call.

“We will absolutely not follow his lead. There’s no need for it,” Dowdy said. “I support the Boys and Girls Club individually.”

Oooo-kay. Well, you can’t say the Scruggses haven’t spread it around, according to Jerry:

Since 1993, Scruggs has personally contributed more than $221,000 - some going to Republicans such as his brother-in-law, then U.S. Sen. Trent Lott, and more going to Democrats.

Scruggs gave the maximum amount of $4,200 to U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton for her 2006 re-election campaign. His plan to host a fundraiser for Clinton at his Oxford home was cancelled after he was indicted last November.

Scruggs and his wife, Diane, each contributed $2,300 to Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s campaign, which has since returned the contributions.

The McCain campaign has not returned contributions of $2,300 each from of Scruggs’ children, Zach and Claire.

Scruggs, his family members and his law firm members contributed to other candidates, too, including U.S. Sens. Joseph Biden, D-Del.; Arlen Specter, R-Pa.; Patty Murray, D-Wash.; Bill Nelson, D-Fla.; and John Kerry, D-Mass.

Claire Scruggs, whose occupation is listed as student, contributed $101,900, including $53,500 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

The most a single person can contribute to a single candidate is $2,100 per election cycle, or $4,200 if the primary and general election are totalled.

Last June 30, members of the Scruggs law firm contributed $9,400 to the campaign of U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. …

In addition to his direct contributions to candidates, Scruggs contributed $300,000 to the Democratic Attorney Generals’ Association. Booneville lawyer Joey Langston, who also has pleaded guilty to corruption charges, contributed $100,000.

In turn, the association gave $400,000 to the campaign of Hood, who has called for campaign finance reform in Mississippi.

So the very Red Mr. Herring wants the Miss Lege to create an office of independent counsel (or something similar, with subpoena powers conferred by, say, SCOM Chief Justice Jim Smith) to track the Scruggs-Hood gravy-train.

But Smith, CJ, says hold-on-here-a-minute-Fishy, we got no constitutional authority for that: “This is totally unlike the federal system, where there does exist constitutional and statutory authority for the Justice Department of the United States to appoint independent counsel, rather than the Supreme Court of the United States.”

N.B.: Lest anyone be confused, I do NOT believe the Miss Goopers’ Fishy is our Fishy. Ours has a sense of humor. I rest my case.

UPDATE: Patsy Brumfield’s up with her findings on the backgrounds of the other new faces on Team Zach. Interesting stuff.

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