Incoming Douglas County Dist. Atty. Charles Branson reached across party lines Thursday with the hiring of a seasoned Republican as his top assistant prosecutor.

Branson, a Democrat, said he hoped the hiring of Bob Claus — a former Montgomery County attorney who once served as head of Republican Atty. Gen. Carla Stovall’s criminal litigation division — would put to rest rumors he would hire inexperienced rookies to fill the office.

“He’s one of the finest hires the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office has seen in many years,” Branson said. “Party affiliation absolutely does not matter … I’m getting the best qualified people and the best attorneys for Douglas County.”

Claus, 60, leaves a job as chief prosecutor for Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger’s office. In that role, he also served as special assistant attorney general for prosecuting insurance fraud cases statewide.

“He’s very thoughtful and very deliberate. He thinks things through very carefully, and he’s reined me back in a couple of times — ‘No, commissioner, you can’t do that,'” Praeger said. “People in Douglas County, where Bob is concerned, will be treated fairly.”

Claus is a 1968 Kansas University law school graduate who received a master’s degree in public administration from KU in 1975. He and his wife have lived in Lawrence the past three years.

“I’m not a politician. I’m a prosecutor,” Claus said.

Claus

His responsibilities in Branson’s office will include supervising attorneys and staff members and prosecuting more serious felony cases.

Branson said he had not yet finalized any other hiring decisions. But he said he planned to tell all staff members in outgoing Dist. Atty. Christine Kenney’s office whether they have a job by the end of the day Monday.

Claus worked as an assistant professor of criminal justice at Central Missouri State College from 1968 to 1969. He was assistant director of Wyandotte County’s Legal Aid Society from 1972 to 1974 and practiced law privately from 1974 to 1996.

He was elected county attorney in Montgomery County, in southeast Kansas, in 1996. From 2001 to 2003, he ran Stovall’s criminal-litigation division.

6News video: Branson hires chief assistant D.A. (12-16-04) 6News video: Incoming DA in process of planning new office (12-10-04) Attorneys seek posts in new D.A.’s office (12-03-04) D.A. employees given chance to apply for jobs (11-11-04) Democrat unseats D.A. of 8 years (11-03-04) Challenger questions D.A.’s court record (10-23-04) Transcript of chat with Charles Branson, Democrat for district attorney (10-22-04) Transcript of chat with Douglas County Dist. Atty. Christine Kenney, Republican (10-21-04) More in Election 2004