Prison Privatization. Your Tax Dollars Stolen by Shady Government Officials and their corporate Masters

WASHINGTON — Nashville attorney G.A. "Gus" Puryear IV, who worked for Sens. Fred Thompson and Bill Frist, was nominated Wednesday to be a judge in the U.S. District Court for Middle Tennessee.

Puryear, 39, is general counsel for Corrections Corporation of America Inc. and is credited with helping untangle the private prison operator from some of its troubles.

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Puryear served as legislative director for Frist from 1998 to 2001. Before that, he was recruited to Washington, D.C., to work for Thompson on the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee investigation of campaign finance wrongdoing during the 1996 campaign.

He also helped prepare Vice President Dick Cheney for debates during the 2000 campaign.

Puryear has given $13,450 to federal and state Republican campaign committees since 2001, according to reports filed with the Tennessee Secretary of State and the Federal Election Commission. He gave $3,000 to the campaign of Sen. Bob Corker.

Puryear would replace Judge Robert Echols, who took senior judge status in March.