The Searcy Daily Citizen today reports on a squabble in the attorney general’s race over Republican candidate Gunner DeLay‘s proposal to create an “untouchables” unit to investigate public corruption.

In this week’s press release, Greg Hale, [Democratic Party] Victory 2006 campaign director, said DeLay is “continuing to stress that this division is needed because our locally-elected prosecuting attorneys can not be trusted to do their job.” …

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“How can DeLay create this branch when the Arkansas constitution prohibits the attorney general’s office from prosecuting cases, and why doesn’t he know more about the office he’s running for?” Hale said. “DeLay thinks he is Eliot Ness, but he needs to study a little law,” Hale said. …

DeLay is defending his proposal, as well as his opinion of widespread corruption in Arkansas.

“They’re pointing to a provision of the constitution that outlines the duties of county prosecutors,” DeLay said Thursday in a phone interview. “I have researched it, and in my opinion all powers of the attorney general are conferred on him by the legislature. This would require an action of the legislature. I have already stated that it was going to be part of my legislative proposals that I’m going to present to the legislature for approval.”

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A constitutional amendment is not needed to set up the “untouchables” unit, DeLay said.

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