Hutchinson, Asa

[Page 366]Asa Hutchinson (1950–) was the administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from 2001 to 2003. An Arkansas politician, Hutchinson was appointed the youngest U.S. Attorney in history by President Ronald Reagan in 1981. An aggressive prosecutor, Hutchinson drew national attention with his successful prosecution in 1985 of the Christian Identity white supremacist group called the Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord. The prosecution followed a three-day standoff between the Missouri group and federal agents, over firearms violations—a standoff that Hutchinson himself negotiated the end of, before charging the group's leadership with illegal weapons possession, and in the case of the polygamist leader James Ellison, RICO violations.

The attention from the case was swiftly followed by the dawn of Hutchinson's political career, but his 1986 attempt to challenge Arkansas Senator Dale Bumpers failed, as did his 1990 campaign for Arkansas Attorney General—though he soon became co-chair of the state Republican Party, and in 1996 succeeded his brother Tim Hutchinson as the Congressional Representative for Arkansas's 3rd district. He was reelected to two more terms, during which time he was involved in attempts at campaign finance reform and strengthening of drug laws, particularly in the case of methamphetamine.

Hutchinson was appointed to the position of DEA Administrator in 2001 by newly elected President George W. Bush, with the Senate confirming his appointment with a resounding 98-1 vote. Considered a genuine example of a compassionate conservative in the House, Hutchinson brought a new approach to the DEA, which he saw as still rooted in a Reagan-era mindset, focused on South American cocaine and American street gangs.

Well-aware of the specter of methamphetamine in rural America, Hutchinson spoke strongly about the need to reshape DEA policy to reflect the popularity and demographics of the drugs that had become more popular in the previous 10 years: ecstasy, date rape drugs, club drugs, and methamphetamine. One of the first major DEA operations that occurred under Hutchinson was Operation Triple X, which dismantled a major methamphetamine and ecstasy laboratory in Escondido, California. He also viewed the DEA as too focused on producing arrests, and called for greater budget allocations for prevention and treatment, and more concerted efforts at helping nonviolent drug criminals with their addictions. He also made it clear he had no interest in ending the federal ban on medical marijuana.

Hutchinson also oversaw Operation Containment, which began shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Operation Containment was a multinational, law enforcement initiative involving 19 countries from Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Europe. It was designed to limit international terrorist groups' access to the financial assets of the heroin industry in post-Taliban Afghanistan.

Hutchinson left the DEA in early 2003, after a brief tenure (shorter than some acting administrators), when President Bush nominated him as undersecretary of Border and Transportation Security, the largest division of the new Department of Homeland Security; the Senate confirmed him unanimously.