Thursday, Mar. 13, 2008
Morrison refutes Kline's claims
Jack Weinstein
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ReprintPaul Morrison wants to clear his name.
The former attorney general, who resigned in December while embroiled in a sex scandal, told members of the media Thursday that the criminal allegations raised against him by Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline were about a "political vendetta that has nothing to do with justice."
Morrison's attorney, Trey Pettlon, who stood beside Morrison in front of the Johnson County Courthouse, said the allegations — witness tampering, interfering with an ongoing criminal investigation and blackmail — were released as a "systematic disinformation campaign" against Morrison.
"These are serious allegations without any basis, with no regard for the evidence, no regard for the truth and certainly no concerns for the consequences of making false allegations," he said.
Kline spokesman Brian Burgess said because the allegations against Morrison were made by others, Kline refused to comment on Morrison's "difficulties."
“Mr. Kline is continuing this policy and, as always, will have absolutely no comment on this matter,” he said.
Morrison resigned after Linda Carter, who until last November served as the director of administration for the district attorney's office, filed an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint alleging her former boss sexually harassed her.
In addition to the affair and sexual harassment claim, Carter, in a signed statement, accused Morrison of using their relationship to influence the federal case involving Kline and the eight district attorney's office employees he fired after assuming office.
She accused him of trying to obtain information about Kline's pending case against of Planned Parenthood in Overland Park.
In her statement, Carter said that on Oct. 31, Morrison made 22 phone calls to Carter's office, including one in which Morrison said he would prevent her from finding a job in another state. Some of the calls were heard by other members of the office, she said.
Morrison admitted to the affair, but he denied all other allegations.
On Thursday, Morrison and Pettlon also criticized Kline's hiring of special prosecutors earlier this week to investigate the allegations, which reportedly took place in the district attorney's office.
The County Commission in December authorized Kline to hire a special prosecutor to investigate Morrison. He said he couldn't investigate the case because there was a conflict of interest and employees in his office could be called as witnesses.
Morrison said Thursday it was important for "somebody totally independent, somebody who's totally neutral to look at this investigation," but Kline failed to appoint someone who fit that criteria.
On Tuesday, Kline announced he chose Timothy E. Keck and Robert E. Arnold III to investigate Morrison. Morrison said the appointment of Keck, a former assistant district attorney who left the office Feb. 15 to start his private practice, demonstrated that Kline's whole "purported criminal investigation is a stacked deck."
Keck told The Olathe News on Tuesday that he and Arnold would investigate fairly and impartially regardless of what anyone else thought.
"(Arnold) and I aren't taking orders from anyone," he said. "We were hired to investigate independently and that's what we'll do."
Morrison said more information would come out in the coming months about how Kline's administration orchestrated the criminal allegations against him.
"In short, you're going to hear about Phill Kline's politics of sewage," he said. Pettlon said Morrison just wanted his day in court — if the allegations resulted in charges filed against him — to give the public a chance to hear the evidence, he said. "(Morrison) maintains he's innocent and at our trial, for the very first time, it's just possible that 12 people will review this evidence that have not worked for Phill Kline," Pettlon said."
In addition to the EEOC and the special prosecutors' investigation, Morrison, before he resigned, requested the Kansas Office of the Disciplinary Administrator investigate the allegations of professional misconduct.