http://thinkprogress.org/2007/07/12/cummins-and-taylor/Cummins Contradicts Taylor: ‘Tim Griffin Wanted My Job, They Decided To Give It Him’
During the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing yesterday on the U.S. attorney scandal, Sen. Arlen Specter asked former White House political director Sara Taylor “whether Cummins was forced out in order to make room for
Griffin.”
Taylor offered a contradictory response, arguing on the one hand Cummins “had been planning to leave” while on the other hand stating “he was, in fact, fired.”
Later in the hearing, Specter asked if “there was a political overtone to the replacement of Mr. Cummins by Mr. Griffin?” I don’t believe that’s the case at all,” Taylor responded.
Watch it/read transcript at link:
In today’s Arkansas Times, Bud Cummins shot back, expressing his disagreement with Taylor’s assesment of how and why he was forced out of office:
Taylor said Wednesday it was her understanding that Cummins had stated as early as 2004 that he was planning to leave. Better communication would have made the transition easier, she added.
Cummins said he does not believe his status played a role in his ouster.
“Tim Griffin wanted my job, they decided to give it him, and because of the arrogance and inexperience of the staff-level folks that handled the execution of a poorly thought-out plan, my loyal and arguably successful service was not considered in any way,” Cummins said.
Despite what Taylor claims, there were “political overtones” to Griffin’s replacement of Cummins. Not only did the White House intentionally bypass Senate approval of Griffin, over the objections of Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR), but in March, Cummins publicly questioned “whether it had something to do with the probe he opened into alleged corruption by Republican officials in Missouri amid a Senate race there that was promising to be a nail-biter.”
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