By Bill Britt
Alabama Political Reporter
MONTGOMERY—Repeated requests concerning Deputy Attorney General Henry T. “Sonny” Reagan, as well as a request to confirm or deny rumors surrounding the prosecution on Speaker Mike Hubbard on 23 Felony counts of public corruption have been ignored by the Attorney General’s Office.
On September 18, Reagan was placed on administrative leave after it was disclosed by the Alabama Criminal Court of Appeals that he had been leaking information to “individuals affiliated with people indicted or under investigation by the Lee County Special Grand Jury” and that he had also “taken other action to impede or obstruct the investigation” according to a public statement issued by Acting Attorney General W. Van Davis.
The extent of damage Reagan caused the criminal investigation, and what Reagan may have communicated to Hubbard and others is yet unknown, but to the inside players. It can be surmised from public documents, that for a period of roughly two months, Reagan and perhaps others worked covertly to undermine the investigation into Speaker Hubbard.
Rumors of firings, deal making and other gossip have been a constant since the beginning of the Hubbard investigation, much of this believed to be the work of Hubbard and his associates.
The rumor mongering has not been random and is believed to be designed to scare potential witnesses, taint a jury pool and discourage cooperative witnesses from staying the course.
It is known that the Attorney General’s Chief Deputy Kevin Turner was involved in a plot to have special white collar crimes unit chief Matt Hart fired or reassigned around the first of the year.
This places the number two man at the AG’s office smack in the middle of a potential obstruction of justice investigation.
According to the State personnel board, Reagan was to have his hearing before AG Luther Strange on November 6. Repeated calls for confirmation of this hearing and its outcome have been rejected. Once again last week, the Alabama Political Reporter made a formal request for information regarding Reagan and once again the AG’s office has failed to cooperate.
If statements made by Davis accurately reflect Reagan’s actions, then it is reasonable to expect that Reagan will be charged in connection with leaking Grand Jury material.
The question remains as to why Luther Strange’s office is dragging its feet. Are they trying to hide something?
Also, last week, the Alabama Political Reporter requested a confirmation or denial of a rumor being spread by a member to the Alabama House of Representatives. The latest rumor is that Attorney General Strange is angry with acting AG Davis and plans to fire him. This is the same type of rumor circulated about Hart at the beginning of the year.
Perhaps this is just another attempt to scare witnesses who might want to cut a deal with the State. However, the Attorney General’s Office has not seen fit to respond.
In the case of Reagan, it would seem that the public has a right to know his status, seeing as he has been accused of some very serious actions. Reagan has also prosecuted several high profile cases for the State.
As for the rumors, it would appear to be in the best interests of the State for Strange to knock down any rumors that might jeopardize the case against Hubbard. For now, the office is silent.
