Kansas Politics: Attorney General Phill Kline's claim to fame is a fraud, says district attorney

Sedgwick County District Attorney Nola Fouston says that Attorney General Phill Kline's claim that his search of private medical records helped convict a criminal is a fraud.

"Kline had absolutely nothing to do with our case -- nothing, zero," she told The Associated Press on Monday.

A darling of the Religious Right, Kline's search of the private records of abortion clinics has been a campaign issue in his re-election battle. AP reports:

Kline has pointed to the case of Robert A. Estrada, who pleaded no contest in July to nine criminal charges stemming from the rape and sexual abuse of two young girls. Kline cites it as an example of how his office uncovered wrongdoing through a broad investigation of sex crimes against children and potentially illegal late-term abortions.

That investigation also led Kline to seek the records of 90 patients held by two abortion clinics, which resisted. The battle over those records has become a key issue as Kline, a Republican, runs for re-election against Democrat Paul Morrison in the Nov. 7 general election....

Sedgwick County District Attorney Nola Foulston, a Democrat, said no abortion records were involved in Estrada's case, only records of live births involving the two girls.

Kline claims that a memo his office sent to Foulston prompted the investigation. AP reports:

Foulston said her office already was investigating Estrada when it received the memo from Kline's office. She said Kline's memo involved 12 instances in which
young girls in Sedgwick County gave birth.

"He didn't have anything to do with this case," she said.

The entire story is worth reading, especially the attempt by Kline's campaign to justify his claims.