Here's the law MS Code 23-15-855:
1) If a vacancy shall occur in the office of United States Senator from Mississippi by death, resignation or otherwise, the Governor shall, within ten (10) days after receiving official notice of such vacancy, issue his proclamation for an election to be held in the state to elect a Senator to fill such unexpired term as may remain, provided the unexpired term is more than twelve (12) months and the election shall be held within ninety (90) days from the time the proclamation is issued and the returns of such election shall be certified to the Governor in the manner set out above for regular elections, unless the vacancy shall occur in a year that there shall be held a general state or congressional election, in which event the Governor's proclamation shall designate the general election day as the time for electing a Senator, and the vacancy shall be filled by appointment as hereinafter provided.
Here's the problem. If Trent resigns in 2007, a special election has to be called within 90 days - or sometime in March - and Trent can lobby after a year. If Trent waits until 2008, the election doesn't have to be until November 8 - but Trent has to wait 2 years before he can lobby. So what does Trent do? Well, he got saved by Haley, who has decided as he reads the law, he doesn't have to have a special election. The Democratic Party thinks differently. Look for lawsuits!
More problems. If Chip is appointed to fill Trent's seat, then we have another vacancy, which may not be filled until January 2009 - so you and I have no Congressman for a year. (Not that Chip was much of a Congressperson to begin with.)
At least now we know why Senator Thad Cochran decided not to retire, after it was widely rumored that he would. We couldn't have two vacant Senate seats up for election at the same time. God forbid, Mississippi might vote for a Democrat for one of them, thinking it might be good to have one of each to cover our bases. Plus the national Republican Senate campaign is dead broke and trying to defend way more open Senate seats than the Democrats, who also happen to have oodles of money. Maybe Cochran will retire after a year, and we'll get to go through this all over again. What fun!
Now for the rumor about the REAL reason Trent is resigning. During Clinton's impeachment trial, Larry Flynt, the infamous publisher of Hustler magazine, offerred a million dollars for evidence of sexual affairs of Republican lawmakers. His report resulted in the resignation of incoming House Speaker Bob Livingston of Louisiana. In June of this year, he took out an ad in the Washington Post again offering a million dollars for evidence of sexual improprieties of members of Congress or high ranking government officials. This exposed Senator David Vitter, also of Louisiana. (What is it with that state?) Vitter is still in the US Senate, but will probably be gone after Jindal becomes the new Republican Governor of Louisiana and can appoint a Republican Senator.
Several weeks ago, Flynt announced that he had news that would rock Washington. Now the rumor is that he was going to out Trent as being gay. (NOTE Flynt claims to only expose hypocrites, ie those whose words and behaviors don't agree.) This is what his web site has to say about this:
"HUSTLER Magazine has received numerous inquiries regarding the involvement of Larry Flynt and HUSTLER in the resignation of Trent Lott. Senator Lott has been the target of an ongoing HUSTLER investigation for some time now, due to confidential information that we have received. "
I have no idea if any of this is true, and I just present it to you to make up your own mind.
UPDATE: One of the comments draws our attention to an article that debunks this rumor.
UPDATE 2: Here's another reason Trent may have resigned - and remember I predicted this possibility. Scott Horton of Harpers Magazine is reporting that:
UPDATE 3: The Clarion Ledger is reporting that Dicking Scruggs was arrested."FBI agents are now raiding the law office of Richard “Dickie” Scruggs in Oxford. Scruggs is the brother-in-law of Trent Lott, and, as we reported earlier, several Mississippi newspapers openly questioned whether Lott had intervened to protect Scruggs in a recent criminal probe that produced the prosecution of a number of other Mississippi lawyers and judges with whom he was closely connected."
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14 comments:
Oh my God...., This makes one scream. It is so shocking.
I wonder what would be made public if a monetary offer was made for people to talk about the lives of Natchez' elected officials.
We could start with the alcoholic alderwoman; the pedophile alderman; the sexually addicted alderman; the home video porno alderman; the alternative lifestyle personnel director; and so much more.
Casey, I can't believe you would post National Enquirer type bs like this on your website. Pure and utter trash gossip. Trent Lott is a fine person and has done as much for Mississippi and Natchez as anyone. You are a scum bag.
Well, Casey, now we've stopped preachin' and gone to meddlin'!
I think Casey is simply reporting the facts, believe me, the mainstream media will eventually pick up on this story. 11:41 said Lott is a fine person and has done much for Ntz and Miss., no one is arguing that. Is his personal life his own? Tell that to Bill Clinton! The Republicans spent millions of our money on that ridiculous lynching, so I just see it as payback time. I think the hypocrites should be exposed! It's sad that these pathetic people can't be who they truly are and and instead hide behind this facade of an overly religious life with family and kids.
So Lott is gay. Makes sense. After all, he was a cheerleader.
10:22... Have you seriously bought into the media BS surrounding President Clinton. Pres Clinton was not lynched for his personal lifestyle, HE LIED UNDER OATH IN A COURT OF LAW!!! It was to that end Ken Starr investigated. Now if the Senator has done something illegal with his life, he should be held to account, however, hypocrisy is not a crime.
To answer your question, yes his personal life is his own. President Clinton's personal life was his own until he used his office to deny a woman her constitutional right to a fair trial.
Casey, what pleasure does this bring you? There are very few other people I have read that are so ridiculously partisan.
I agree. This is completley unfounded. In fact, if you further research the "trash news" you will discover that the "male prostitute" they implicated has even denied this. Here's a link to the article titled "Escort Throws Cold Water on Lott Rumor":
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/11/26/escort-throws-cold-water-_n_74227.html
This is pure trash. Conversely, the Clinton stuff had merit. Casey you should be ashamed of yourself.
Casey,
There is a southern saying, "Tell the truth and shame the devil."
The truth has a way of shining through all darkness. Even when it may not seem as though there is light, a major ray of sunshine will come through.
If this story has merit, it will come through.
All those who question it have to do is look at the Dickie Scruggs indictment. Who would have ever thought. You never know who people really are or what they will really do.
Are you kidding us 10:45? Dicky Scruggs has always been a crook in the minds of most reasonable people. I hope your comment was sarcastic.
I didn't realize you had a subscription to Hustler??? The reason must be the funny cartoons I guess...
Good for Larry Flint. It's about time someone took these conservative hypocrites to task. They deserve all of the misery coming their way. Conservatives are forever going about spewing that they are more "righteous" and "holy" than liberals.
What's funny to me is how many die-hard liberals turn conservative later in life. I guess some people get older and wiser. Others aren't so fortunate. But I've never known many to go the other way. That liberalism will wear you down. A recent study shows they die on average 11 years earlier.
You've never known conservatives to turn liberal later in life? We call that denial - refusal to accept reality. Conservatives who turn liberal usually do so because of personally experience. The most common is getting sick and no longer being able to buy health insurance - and then seeing everything they've worked for all their lives being eaten up with health care expenses. The rest of the civilized world provides health care to their citizens - why don't we?
Liberals who turn conservative usually get rich and greedy.
Churchill said, "If you are not liberal when you are young, you have no heart. If you are not conservative when you get older, you have no brain."
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