Well – it’s going to take a whoooole lot of legacy polish to get the shine back on this guy’s legacy.

Attorney General Jim Hood denies his predecessor delivered a warning that a wealthy lawyer would fund an opponent in last year’s election if Hood didn’t cooperate in Hurricane Katrina litigation.The allegation was made by Lafayette County Circuit Judge Henry Lackey, who is at the center of a judicial bribery scandal that toppled some of the most powerful attorneys in Mississippi.Lackey was testifying Tuesday in a civil lawsuit when he claimed former Attorney General Mike Moore approached Hood on behalf of tort lawyer Richard “Dickie” Scruggs. Scruggs allegedly wanted Hood to drop his criminal investigation of State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. over the insurer’s handling of homeowners’ claims.

“No, Mike Moore never approached me with such a message,” Hood said Tuesday in a statement. “Judge Lackey was right to turn the case over to the federal government, which has the wiretap authority that the state lacks.”

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