HOOD LAUNCHES FALSE AND NEGATIVE ATTACK ON AL HOPKINS’ MILITARY
EXPERIENCE
_Hood’s Ludicrous Attack is Smokescreen to Hide the Fact He’s Given
State Contracts to Law Firms Who’ve Given Him Over $400,000 in
Campaign Contributions_
JACKSON, MS – This morning Attorney General Jim Hood launched a false
and negative attack on retired Major General Al Hopkins’ military
experience in an effort to hide the way he appears to have sold state
contingency fee contracts to his campaign contributors. In a press
forum sponsored by the Stennis Institute, Hopkins documented the ways
Hood repeatedly received campaign contributions in close proximity to
state contracts he awarded to the contributors’ firms.
“Jim Hood’s false and negative attack on my military service is a
ludicrous smokescreen by a man who is desperate to hide the way he
appears to be selling state contracts to his political contributors,”
stated Hopkins. “Sadly, Mr. Hood has a pattern of behavior that
creates the unhealthy perception that Mississippi’s Attorney
General’s office is for sale. The timing of his campaign
contributions and the contracts he awarded to attorneys suggests the
connection is no coincidence-it suggests Jim Hood’s version of
justice is ‘Pay to Play’. We don’t know if he’s actually selling
state contracts for campaign contributions, or just exercising
horrendously bad judgment, but Mississippi deserves better in her
Attorney General.”
Desperate to save his political career, Hood falsely accused Hopkins’
of “padding his resume” when in fact Hopkins was appointed Chief Judge
of the Mississippi Court of Military Appeals by Governor Kirk Fordice
in 1996 and reappointed by Governor Haley Barbour in 2004 after a
lifetime career in the military. Hopkins began his military service
as an enlisted man in 1965 in the 31st Infantry Division and retired
as a Major General, after serving his final four years as Assistant
Adjutant General for the State of Mississippi. He is a graduate of
the Judges Advocate General’s Career Course and General Staff School
of the United States Army, University of Virginia School of Law,
Charlottesville, Virginia. He served as Staff Judge Advocate for
Mississippi Emergency Operations Headquarters; Command and Control
Headquarters; Det. 1 STARC and Special Staff Judge Advocate to the
Adjutant General of the State of Mississippi.
Documentation:
On November 15, 2005, Jim Hood received $15,000 from an attorney with
Bernstein Liebhard & Lifshitz of New York. Their firm received a
state contract 3 months later on February 16, 2006. In return, they
contributed to Hood another 15,000 dollars a week after they received
the contract (February 23).
After receiving $25,000 from partners with Bernstein, Litowitz,
Berger & Grossman of New York on February 14, 16, & 17th, Jim Hood
signed over to them 3 separate state contracts a week later on
February 21 and March 14, 2006. The same firm then gave another
series of contributions on April 16, 24, 25, & 26, which followed
with another contract soon thereafter on May 17, 2006.
Jim Hood received contributions of $11,500 to his campaign from
Schiffrin, Barroway, Topaz & Kessler of Pennsylvania in February
2006, which led to contingency fee contracts immediately following in
March and April.
Likewise, Wolf Popper of New York contributed $15,000 to Jim Hood on
February 22, 2006 and received a contingency fee contract just a few
weeks later on March 23, 2006.
On September 19, 2005 Jim Hood signed Baron & Budd of Texas to a
contingency fee state contract, which soon led to another $19,200 for
Hood’s campaign on November 7 & 8.
Al Hopkins Campaign Release
9/24/7
