Arkansas Governor Resigns, Finally, After Threat Of Impeachment

Capping a day of confusion about whether Gov. Jim Guy Tucker would stay in office or go, Tucker finally resigned Monday and his lieutenant governor was sworn in to succeed him.

The tumultuous sequence of events began when Tucker said he considered his conviction on Whitewater-related charges a temporary disability and would return to office if his appeal was successful.

He called Lt. Gov. Mike Huckabee just five minutes before Huckabee was to be sworn in as governor to inform him of the decision.

Huckabee, a Republican, responded by saying he would call an emergency session of the Legislature to begin impeachment proceedings if Tucker’s unconditional resignation wasn’t handed in by 9 a.m. today. The state’s attorney general filed a lawsuit in seeking Tucker’s ouster.

After the impeachment threat, Tucker apparently relented, saying at 6 p.m. that he would step aside unconditionally. Huckabee was sworn in at 6:45 p.m.