Candidate attacks opponent's fitness

Millner says Barnes destroyed court evidence, shoved, started fistfight with state prosecutor

Web posted September 26, 1998

By Lawrence Viele
Morris News Service

ATLANTA -- Now that the gloves are off in the governor's race, the candidates are trying to make every punch a knockout.

Republican nominee Guy Millner and his former rival, one-time Attorney General Michael Bowers, Friday accused Democratic contender Roy Barnes of destroying court evidence, shoving a state prosector, starting a fistfight with him and lacking the character to serve as governor.

``Does this indicate a question of his fitness to hold office?'' Mr. Bowers asked during a press conference at Mr. Millner's headquarters Friday.

The press conference was timed to coincide with the airing of TV ads with Mr. Millner's version of the courtroom scuffle. ``If character is the question, Roy Barnes isn't the answer,'' the ad says.

Mr. Bowers was considered the frontrunner in the Republican primary against Mr. Millner, but his campaign never recovered from his admission of a lengthy extramarital affair with his secretary.

At Friday's press conference, Mr. Bowers provided a second-hand account that Mr. Barnes threw away a piece of paper which he had drawn on for the jury during a 1996 trial in Thomaston.

Mr. Barnes was defending Jeffrey Grant of Stockbridge on timber racketeering charges. The trial ended in a mistrial.

During a conference with the judge and prosecutor, a brief shoving match erupted between Mr. Barnes and assistant attorney general Patrick Deering.

Though Mr. Bowers insisted Friday the piece of paper was evidence, the supervising special attorney in that case, Joe Chambers, said it was not, and the judge never cited Mr. Barnes.

``It was a work product of a lawyer in the courtroom,'' Mr. Chambers said. ``If that's all they have, it's pretty weak.''

Mr. Bowers said that had he been poked by Mr. Barnes, he would ``try to deck him.''

Mr. Barnes said the accounts of the trial have been distorted by those who were not present.

``I've never seen such a mean, vicious thing in my life. I feel that Guy Millner has stooped to the lowest point in Georgia politics that I've ever seen,'' said Mr. Barnes.

Mr. Millner began advertising his version of the courtroom events following a blast from Mr. Barnes earlier this week. Mr. Millner also is continuing ads that portray Mr. Barnes as ``soft on crime.''

Mr. Barnes claims in his ads that Mr. Millner is a tax dodger and a campaign cheat.

Earlier this year, Mr. Millner was fined a record $12,700 for failing to disclose hundreds of contributions and expenditures during his 1994 gubernatorial race against Gov. Zell Miller. Mr. Miller is barred by the Georgia Constitution from running for another term.