Kris Kobach, the worst secretary of state in the nation
When the Democratic nominee, Chad Taylor, withdrew his name from the race for U.S. Senate in Kansas, Kris Kobach—the worst secretary of state in the nation—interfered in the race by trying to prevent Taylor from withdrawing and then trying to force Democrats to name a new nominee. After numerous court challenges, he was eventually forced to raise the white flag and butt out of the race.
Now the state of Kansas has revealed that his partisan legal sideshow cost taxpayers $34,627 in fees paid to an outside law firm. Kris Kobach hired Bradley Schlozman of the Hinkle Law Firm, a Wichita-based attorney. Bradley Schlozman himself is no stranger to controversy. He was appointed by the Department of Justice by George W. Bush and was investigated for discriminating against so-called "liberal applicants":
Lawmakers from both political parties charged that the department singled out and fired at least nine U.S. attorneys in 2006 based on political considerations.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said that he was not only "particularly disturbed" about the allegations that Schlozman lied to his panel, but that the report "confirms some of our worst fears about the Bush administration's political corruption of the Justice Department."
Partisan birds of a feather flock together. Schlozman isn't the only hyper-partisan attorney Kobach likes to hang around. He's toured the country with
Michael Hethmon:
Over the past six years, the two have become the most successful propagators of a powerful idea: that state and local governments can make life so miserable for illegal immigrants that they would choose to deport themselves.
They've been successful in several states, including Arizona's extremely controversial SB 1070:
Kobach and Hethmon have helped six states and at least seven cities and counties write tough legislation that allows local police or bureaucrats to crack down on illegal immigrants. Usually, that’s a function reserved for the federal government, but these two lawyers said they knew the “magic words” of legalese to make local laws work.
With the new revenue numbers in for Kansas and the economic outlook going from
"bad" to "nightmare," it's unconscionable Kobach wasted tax dollars on his hyper-partisan election meddling.
Can you chip in $5 to help elect Daily Kos-endorsed Jean Schodorf and send Kris Kobach back to private practice?
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Kansans deserve better.