Despite Victims’ Pleas, Huckabee Pushed Rapist’s Freedom

I would never vote for Huckabee, but I’m more concerned with which other campaign leaked this story. I’d like to know which other candidate is the type of man to stoop to character assassination this way.

If this story is accurate, it doesn’t sleak well for Mike Huckabee’s decision-making process. We already have one president who isn’t impressed with facts, we don’t need another.

it was his job to know more – if not he who – power = responsibility – it is axiomatic -

This doesn’t make Huckabee a terrible person. Drummond was a rapist, not a killer at the time of his conviction. 25 years to life was pretty harsh considering murderers can get out in under 10 years. This was a hard decision to make and unfortunately this led to the deaths of 2 women. I’m sure Huckabee deeply regrets that he pardoned this monster, and has to live with that decision for the rest of his life. This is just a part of being a leader. Tough decisions need to be made, and sometimes they are not the right ones. Give the guy a break.

WOW… look-out.. DUCK HUCK. You just got sprayed by the drive-by media! Make a joke out of this one. Will the next GOP contender please approach the gallows!

It’s too bad that Huckabee probably doesn’t have enough money to recover from a cheap shot like this. Giuliani and his criminal friends in high places have far more skeletons in their closet and look how nobody says a word about that now. Again, it’s too bad, because Huckabee is likely the only person who can truly reunite this country after the great rift that’s emerged since the 2000 election. If this is the most that anyone can dig up on him, then he’s still the best man for the job

Forget it, Huckabee. Mr. Huckabee is a criminal taking bribe from Wayne Dumond or his associate or it could be that Mr. Huckabee related to monster Wayne Dumond.
Hey, people. It’s simple. Let Mr. Huckabee using his money to run his campaign, but we simple just DO NOT EVER VOTE FOR HIM ….
Mr. Huckabee, you should face the grand jury if you continue to lie about your advocate to release rapist monster Wayne Dumond.

So Mike Hukabee is a lier!! That’s just what we need another dishonest person running for president. All the new’s headline’s prove how much corruption is going on in our government.

Ooops, another Dukakis incident.

Ummm… why credit Huff Post when reporter Murray Weiss wrote a prize winning article about in the Arkansas Times way back in 2002???

What a pathetic hit piece. Politicians make mistakes?

Combine this with the fact that he’s the most liberal GOP candidate out there and it’s reason enough for me to not vote for him.

The GOP attracted some weird candidates to run for president. Suffering through seven years of a president with credibility issues, now they throw up a candidate who allegedly paroled a rapist, a candidate who sneaks around on his wife, another who’s an evangelical religious believer…and then there’s Ron Paul, a phone Republican. Hopefully American voters will see through all this crap and keep Republicans out in order to restore “us” with good values.

Huckabee also could care less about our immigration laws either. He is a illegal alien enabler just like Bush.

I am still looking for clarification of what motivated Huckaby to advocate for parole of a convicted rapist serving time. Was there any sound reasoning for the decision, any reasoning at all?

I have to believe that every gov. has made a mistake like this. Whether they advocated someone’s release…didn’t respond to a crisis on time…or whatever. Besides, it was the parol board that made the decision…they have responsibility too…maybe more. Huck still has my vote!

I’m not a republican and so I have little interest in the outcome of the republican nomination. But I am still curious as to WHY is ABCNEWS jumping on the bandwagon and fanning the flames? Wake UP ABCNEWS: THIS IS NOT JOURNALISM? This is gossip mongering.

No politician, Democrat nor Republican, would or should survive this, no matter who “leaked” it or why. Gov. Huckabee showed very, very bad judgment, and will not last much longer as a candidate.

Um…It’s not character assassination if it’s fact. Check out a dictionary. It’s called the TRUTH.

“Again, it’s too bad, because Huckabee is likely the only person who can truly reunite this country after the great rift that’s emerged since the 2000 election.”
Huckabee is probably the most polarizing candidate on the Republican side of the fence. Anyone who wants to abolish national science standards so states can put creationism in science class (as opposed to social studies where it belongs) is not going to get the support of rational Americans. He’ll probably have the heavily religious vote, but that’s not a group known for uniting any country.

In my opinion, Huckabee is proving just how big a liar he can be by saying he was not involved in releasing Dumond and also trying to blame the governor before him for setting it up. This is a bunch of bull!

GOOOOOOOOOOO get em’!

Read the entire Huffpost article. The release of this rapist was driven by Clinton-hate and far right conservative moralists — and directly resulted in the murder and rape of several women. The entire seedy affair is sickening.

This is not uncommon. Liberal government loves giving proven offenders second chances. Anyone who thinks pushing a parole for a rapist let alone a serial rapist is OK with me. This is not the kind of decision making that will make our US a better place to live. He is not even an option for me anymore and I do not even care who leaked it. I care that it is true and that families have to live with the loss left by his terrible decision making.

the part of the story not being reported…this guy was castrated by some good ol’ boys here in Ark. His testicles were in a jar on the sheriff’s desk for a while. Maybe that is why Huck thought he wouldn’t reoffend. Most folks still think rape is a sexual thing. It is a violent thing having to do with power

Another one wacko bites the dust. Without good reporting we are sitting ducks to the regressive wingnut machine. We’re sick of talking points, lets have the truth, we can handle it. Thank you, and lets have three cheers for Brian Ross and Joseph Rhee and their great journalism.

I am a hardcore conservative and for once the drive-by media has dug up dirt worth knowing. It is inexcusable and just flat out unacceptable for a politician to authorize and advocate the release a rapist from custody. Rapist should be executed, not released. Huckabee, don’t make up any sick excuses about details…the fact was that he was a convicted rapist. You do not have my vote.

This story is common knowledge in Arkansas and was a campaign issue in ’02. If you familiarize yourself with the FACTS of the case it gives you insight into Huckabee’s character. The problem for him is he’s never given a reasonable explanation for his actions. I believe he lacks the intelligence to see where listening to Jay Cole was going to lead.

This is another case of the justice system going bad. Rapist and Murderers seem to get a better opportunity to be released from prison than individuals who steal cars, sell drugs, and commit robbery without murder. More importantly, what was Mike Huckabee’s relation with Dumond? So many things left unsaid. I will conclude this by saying – - the violence that one inflicts on another person for their sexual pleasure, when found guilty, they should serve every day of that sentence. Obviously, Governor Huckabee does not believe in his own state’s judical system in its verdict.

Its not who Has cast the first stone, but who should be responsible for releasing a rapist and responsible for two other murders?
HUCKABEE FOR PRESIDENT

ekay – I suppose you know that some doctors told the parole board that Wayne Dumond mutilated himself, and that such self-mutilation is not uncommon among sex offenders? And besides, it apparently did not render Dumond incapable of raping again. When Huckabee first came into office in 1996, he wanted to commute Dumond’s sentence to “time served”, but the prosecutors and others raised such a public outcry Huckabee had to back down.

it’s funny how fast this story got put on the back burner. i looked at this web sight this morning and it was under HEADLINES, now you have to search for it.
just one more sneak attack by the dems.

I think rape SHOULD bring life, however the average time served is 4.5 years, and this slimeball did 14 years, and again his sentence was commuted by TUCKER-DEMOCRAT, who had strong ties to Bill making him eligible for parole in ’92, which put him serving already 3 years longer than average Dont start the Clinton Hate led to this crap. And dont forget, it was also seven Democratic appointees who paroled the scumbag.

Huckabee firmly believes in Creationism over evolution. This is wrong. This is not just wrong where one miscalculates the value of pi or whether dinosaurs had feathers or scales. This is wrong on a collosal scientific scale. Believe in all the bible stories you want, but don’t let a man with a fundamental flaw in the grasp of science ever rule a nation.

Mike Huckabee is a good man. This is a terrible slime campaign, and those involved should be ashamed. It is the responsibility of the parole board, not the governor, to decide parole. The board members who have accused Mike Huckabee of pressuring them to release Dumond are liberal operatives who are cynically attempting to shift responsibility. The only possible result of this sort of character assassination is that no one who has any history or any record will be able to run for office. To hold a governor of 11 years responsible for the crimes of everyone paroled under his tenure is an impossible standard. Whether you like his politics or not, you should be disgusted at how he is being treated.

Being from AR I am thankful this story has come out.
Now folks are going to have to look at what his family values truly are!

amen amen johnf49-51. Jesus was too smart to run for public office, very clever, ha ha. But what the %$#@ are we going to do about global warming, the war, crime, the economy, etc., etc.?

Governors cannot pardon criminals in Arkansas. The parole, consisting of members appointed by past Democrat Governors, granted parole.

HUCKABEE DIDN”T PARDON OR PAROLE THIS GUY!!! ABC, at least get the facts straight. It makes me sick to see this kind of hit job by a main stream media outlet. The whole time this piece ran it said Huckabee’s pardon or something to that effect accross the bottom of the screen. HUCKABEE DIDN”T PARDON or Parole or commute his sentence. He simply made it known that he thought Wayne got a bad deal. He has also said in Hind sight he as well as everyone elso involved was wrong about the guy!
Jim Guy Tucker commuted his sentence and the PAROLE BOARD paroled him. FACTS PLEASE

Isn’t interesting that they fail to mention that BILL CLINTON was the one who first initiated the parole of Dumond? Isn’t it interesting that a parole board made up of Democrats let this guy free? Talk about coloring the kettle black. I am so amazed how you people will believe everything that the news tells you without researching the facts of the case.

WHAT A SMEAR JOB. How about you provide a counter-balance so this isn’t so one sided.
Huckabee is a man of integrity and the fact that people are saying he’s ok with Rape shows the idiocy of the piece and it’s readers. Shame on ABC for being so slanted, shame on the other campaign that gave ABC this rediculous story, and shame on ABC for using the HUFFINGTON POST as being a reputable news source.
Rediculous!

The story doesn’t mention how the victim, Ashley Stevens, whose rape had put Dumond behind bars in 1985 was Bill Clinton’s cousin.
I really don’t want to believe that this was a way to get back at Bill Clinton but I’ll be damned if I can find another logical reason. Minister or not, when it comes to politics there can be some real hate.

Huckabee is screwed, this is SO many times worse than Willie Horton. I feel bad for him, he made a big mistake, and then didn’t own up to it. This story is ALL over the wire.

Hey Huck, his tendency was to rape innocent woman. What else did you need to know?

This article is HIGHLY INACCURATE. Mike Huckabee NEVER advocated the parole of Wayne Dumond. Do your homework before you publish trash journalism like this. Parole Board’s make paroles. Huckabee denied clemency FOUR TIMES in Dumond’s case. The Parole Board was chosen by Governor BILL CLINTON, and they made the decision to parole Drumond without any recommendation from Huckabee. I question the motives of this “one board member” source out of the seven. Perhaps one who was replaced, losing their $75,000 salary? Fishy.

I BELIEVE THE PEOPLE WHO “KNEW THE BETTER” TO RELEASE THIS PERSON OR NOT ARE THE ONES WHO REALLY SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE. THERE IS NO WAY (MERCY OR NOT) THIS MAN SHOULD HAVE BEEN LET LOOSE. BUT LETS FACE THE FACTS, WE LET LOOSE CHILD RAPISTS AND SET THEM OUT TO REPEAT OFFEND EVERY SINGLE DAY.. OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM DOES NOT HAVE THE STOMACH TO PUT AWAY THESE VIAL BEINGS.
WE CAN SIT AND CONDEMN HUCKABEE, BUT OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM IS SIMPLY AND TOTALLY BROKEN AND USELESS IN THESE MATTERS

It is obvious, once again, that ABC News and most of it’s programs are not only promoting the liberal and democrat perspective…….you’re also doing this with inacurate information. Yes you know the truth and refuse to tell it. You know Huckabee did not do what you attacked him with. Why was this all looked at during so many runs for governor and proven false.

Stick a fork in this turkey, he’s done!!
Huckabee’s aw-shucks-downhome-honest-humble-Christian-straightshooter image is toast. He caved to pressure for whatever reasons to champion Wayne Dumond’s cause and then put pressure on the parole board and lied about that as well as tried to keep files with information about this whole affair secret. He has lied to the public about this and his honesty and character is now seriously in question. The last thing we need in the White House is ANOTHER lying, manipulative, faux Christian.
Buhbye, Mike. Have a good trip back to Arkansas.

The reason Huckabee advocated for the release of a convicted rapist? One of his victims was a cousin of Bill Clinton. Some of the more knee-jerk “Clinton is Evil” types felt that Wayne Dumond had been railroaded because of the victim’s relation to Bill Clinton and advocated for his release. Huckabee was one of those people. If you don’t believe me, look it up yourself. Why else would the conservative Republican Governor of Arkansas advocate for the early release of a convicted rapist? Maybe we should rethink our immediate hatred of anything Clinton. Two people were raped and killed because of it in this particular case.

People in the U.S. never seem to amaze me. If an elected official really were to pressure a parol board, don’t you think those people could have went directly to the media even back then? It would probably make national news from that perspective as well. I would also challenge you to take a look at the state you live in & see how many “bad” criminals are freed every month because of over crowding & good behavior. Our system is in trouble in many different ways. What I find even more disturbing is the power the media has over voting activity. You would hope people are smart enough to check out the facts for themselves, but the reality is that most people would go to the polls, remember what Charles Gibson said, and go the other way without knowing the truth. For the families of the victims there is no amount of “I’m sorry” that will ever heal their pain. But, don’t think that in any gov’t situation one person alone holds the blame. For ABC to report the information in the manner they did is irresponsible & poor journalism in my opinion.

This is the loser who with his loser wife registered for “wedding” gifts as a way to load up and get around rules preventing accepting bribes. And people want him for president?

Oh yeah, and this loser is from ARKANSAS, the only state in the Union where you can be yourself, your sister, your grandma, your father’s daughter, and your own niece all at the same time. And it’s the place where the governors register for bribes decades after marrying.

I think this is another case of a genuine compasionate conservative. The current ones are bunk. I do not know of the Clinton angle and if true, we can thank the Limbaughs and Fox types for creation of the level of hatred involved. I note that there is no race or religion involved. This is righty on righty dirt. Like a few years ago when it was McCain and the multiple amputee vet patriot getting reamed by this type of smear. The wrost case here is that the guy messed up. Bad as it is, that is all it is. A ghost of Willy Horton come early. I am much more concerned by this preacher’s wrong minded attitude on the criminal immigrants and the control of women’s live by limitting their reproductive self control (i.e. abortion). Bare foot and pregnate do not cut it in a real America that is free. If a man of the cloth wants to be in public office, he should leave the church first & put down the collar (or it’s pretence). The pope expects as much and he’s no libral. Thannk you.

As a public school political science teacher for the past eleven years in Arkansas, I have watched Gov. Huckabee closely over the last ten and a half years that he was our leader. In a state that is predominately Democratic, he won two terms due to his appeal to everyone in this state, crossing party lines. I believe ABC has been terribly unfair to single out the Republican front runner for a decision he made perhaps a poor judgement about, but nothing negative is reported on Senator Clinton’s unscrupulous, downright scandalous deeds while she was first lady in Arkansas…remember White Water? Her actions were not mistakes of judgement as was Huckabee’s; Clinton’s are intentionally unlawful, yet she receives nothing short of continuous praise from Diane Sawyer and other “objectionable” reporters on ABC. This goes to show you can not listen to ABC, the most liberal, Democratically anchored broadcast in America. Gov. Huckabee has done more for public education in Arkansas than any other governor before him. He is progressive, compassionate, reasonable, intelligent, legitimate, and without any blame…certainly not qualities of Clinton that a native Arkansan could describe. Gov. Huckabee lacks the political ties of THE ESTABLISHMENT which the Clintons have…this is why he is being singled out aggressively by ABC while Clinton remains heralded. Do your own research; Huckabee is a champion of rights for childen and women; he is faithful and loving to his wife; he is not in any way connected with corrupt political machines as is Clinton. He deserves fair coverage.

Shame on ABC for reporting this sleazy, old story full of misinformation. Gov. Huckabee never paroled this man…Gov. Bill Clinton and HIS appointees on our state parole board started the parole preceedings before Huckabee gained office due to Gov. Tucker’s imprisonment. Tucker was convicted while Arkansas Governor due to both his and the Clinton’s White Water crimes…Tucker was the fall guy for the Clinton’s greedy, unlawful activities resulting in the suicide of Vince Foster–still yet another rung on their political ladder. Gov. Huckabee wonderfully CLEANED UP Arkansas politics after the filthy Clinton dynasty left Little Rock for Washington. Huckabee has been loved by Arkansas Democrats for the last ten and a half years because he has no corrupt past, no misdealings in lucrative investments, no wealthy bed partners…he is being targeted by the liberal media (ABC) due to his strong showing in the Republican party. I had the privilege of meeting the Governor once, and I enjoyed a conversation with this humble, gentle, and thoughtful man. He has my vote; there is nothing to be credibly founded against him.

Isn’t this the guy who belives the Earth is 6000 yrs old and scientists planted fossils to de-bunk religion? I saw this idiot on Kenneth Copeland hawking his severely overpriced book. And I wouldn’t want everyone else to be required to live a life as clean as he’d insist upon.

Philippians 3:2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.
The pollinator is out of the game, too concise on rape.

Those of us who have lived in Arkansas during the last three governors’ terms (Bill Clinton, Jim Guy Tucker, Mike Huckabee) know from first hand experience what kind of man Huckabee is: the first to serve a clean, corruption-free office for decades. Huckabee would make a great president because of his high intelligence, his articulate communication, his DECENCY, and his love for the less fortunate. He is a compassionate conservative, angry at nobody, with no politcal ties to the corporations and media conglomerates which the Clintons are. He is a strong advocate for women, children, healthcare, education, and the economy. Everyone who lives in our great state of Arkansas knows his stainless record will vouch for this.

“As Arkansas governor, GOP presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee pushed for the parole of rapist Wayne Dumond despite chilling testimonies from other victims and their relatives that he was a dangerous criminal who would strike again.” How often do several people personally beg for someone to be kept in jail due to their propensity for violence? And he ignored this? Bad move, buddy.

Why not parole Wayne.
His GOP friend George w Bush paroled osama by invaiding iraq. Somehow I got a feeling long ago if osama was killed or captured the war would be over in the peoples minds. Another haunting outcome would be a rush to war in Iran, marshal law declaired and the president stays in power. nightmare!!!!!

I cannot support the Huckabee candidacy until he 1) stops his knee jerk responses concerning Guy Tucker and Bill Clinton—the parole board kept Dumond locked away during their tenures; 2) gives a full and complete accounting of every single word he spoke and said in his meeting with the parole board, after which they suddenly voted to give Dumond parole after overwhelmingly denying him parole on every other occasion; 3) gives a full and complete explanation as to his reason for favoring clemency (as in his letter to Dumond) despite the fervent pleas of (more than two of) Dumonds victims, one of these made in person, the rest in writing that his office very much did receive; 4) gives a full and complete explanation as to his reasoning for favoring parole for a man with a horrible murder and rape rap sheet long before the Ashley Stephens case; and 5) explain why he thought DNA evidence was involved in the Stephens rape case when there was no such thing involved at any time.

I can’t believe that Hucka-screwed-up wanted that animal rapist out even after he talked to some of the rape victims. What kind of a man can let an amimal like that out of jail? Sure the rapist might have had a tough life, but not everybody who has a tough life rapes woman in front of three year olds. Are we going to let this guy be our president?

When I saw Governor Huckabee
appear on Kenneth Copeland’s morning show several weeks ago, I wistfully hoped that he could be considered for president; but the Dumond issue as it currently stands will keep me from voting for him. It is true that an Arkansas governor does not sign the parole papers; the parole board members who did sign have the blood of two women on their hands forever. It was Dumond’s personal, volitional, wholly avoidable sin, but the board facilitated his actions because they had the ability to stop him. It is also true that an Arkansas governor has total power on re-appointments to the parole board, therefore they always listen to the governor. What Governor Huckabee needs to explain in complete candor is why he was so convinced that Dumond was innocent, why he wrote to the man telling him so, and why he did nothing to inhibit his early release. (After long determination to commute Dumond’s sentence, the Governor denied commutation as soon as Dumond was guaranteed parole). The only evidence supporting Dumond’s case were from Dumond’s own anecdotes, eagerly lapped up and propagated by an Arkansas pastor (and close friend of Huckabee) on his radio program, and a NY Times editorialist who (understandably believing Clinton had some corruption) suggested Dumond was somehow railroaded because Miss Stephens was a distant Clinton cousin.
Dumond’s history of murder and rape prior to his victimization of Ashley Stephens was available to Governor Huckabee. Did he choose not to read these? While over 99% of our Vietnam actually-in-combat veterans were totally innocent of the wrongdoing that the typically intellectually deficient ultra-liberals have always tried to claim, Dumond actually did murder civilians over there. This was well known. Dumond’s own long-suffering wife worried that he castrated himself (as many sexual predators do), and there was no evidence to support his story of being attacked by two masked men. Finally, why was Governor Huckabee so unmoved by the pleas of those victimized by Dumond, coming to him in writing and in personal interview? Why did he prefer to accept Dumond’s side against theirs?
It comes across as brain-dead as Govenor Dukakis in the 1980s pleading that the real victims of violent crime were not the innocent people raped or murdered, nor their bereaved families; but rather the families of the criminals suffered the most due to the criminal’s absence from their midst: therefore, unsupervised furloughs. A single instance of twisted, exaggerated compassion can be forgiven in a political leader who in every other instance puts the victims of violent crime first, but not when he also brings to the table an inability to accept facts, intellectual laziness, or a low IQ. Before any right thinking human being can give their heart to Governor Huckabee’s campaign, he needs to explain something. When he had all the overwhelming evidence of Dumond’s atrocities available to him prior to Dumond’s release, and apart from a church in Arkansas, a church in Houston, a church in Florida, and an unfortunate church in Missouri, everyone was screaming: “Please Do Not Release Wayne Dumond!” why to this day does Governor Huckabee continue to say:
“No one could have predicted he (Dumond)would do those things (two rape-murders in Missouri shortly after his release).” That statement, until clarified with full explanation, will make Governor Huckabee
sound like a desperately dishonest politician, or else a man whose IQ makes Dan Quayle’s worst moments seem like the actions of Sir Isaac Newton.

Huckabee signed off on an Arkansas police commission for a convicted felon with a history of impersonating law enforcement officers. The felon wasn’t even from Arkansas and his record was available to Huckabee but not checked out?

Huckabee is a joke! Just listen to how he is backpeddling on giving Clemency to a known rapist and thief. Huckabee is minimizing his involvement in this case because he wants to run for president. He is also a half truth teller and he is deceptive with this technique he uses in his rhetoric every time he opens his mouth. Huckster allowed clemency on this cop killer because he was using it to gain the black vote in Arkansas plain and simple. Deny it all you want Huckabee but you will never be elected to the presidency because of this major Error committed by you and only you.