Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!enterpoop.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: News blackout charged Date: Mon, 23 Nov 92 15:07:21 EST Message-ID: Lines: 92 \SE A \HD News blackout charged \SH Dole says media ignore Walsh flap \BY Carleton R. Bryant \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole complained yesterday of a "news blackout" on Republican charges that special prosecutor Lawrence Walsh's Oct. 30 indictment of Caspar Weinberger was politically motivated. "I can't believe we almost have a news blackout on . . . our allegations about Mr. Walsh," Mr. Dole said on CNN's "Newsmaker Sunday." "You never read anything in the New York Times or The Washington Post - never see anything on the network news." "You know, we're the minority party now," the Kansas Republican added. "If we ever needed help from the media, it's now." Mr. Dole noted that on Friday he led other GOP senators in urging Joseph Biden, Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, to hold hearings to determine if the Iran-Contra prosecutor colluded with the Clinton campaign in issuing its second indictment against Mr. Weinberger. Republicans have argued that the timing of the indictment - four days before the national election - stalled President Bush's campaign. But Mr. Dole said yesterday that their arguments probably will go unheard in the Democratic-controlled Congress. "There's a double standard here, and I'm just asking anybody to help us. You think Joe Biden's going to investigate Democrats? Certainly not," said Mr. Dole, who has called on the Justice Department to investigate the issue. On Friday, he and Sen. Strom Thurmond, the Judiciary Committee's ranking Republican, sent Attorney General William P. Barr a list of criminal statutes to consider in deciding whether to investigate Mr. Walsh's activities. Of particular interest to the Republicans is an Oct. 29 Clinton-Gore news release about the Oct. 30 indictment, complete with detailed references to Mr. Bush's alleged involvement in the arms-for-hostages deal with Iran. The Washington Times first reported the discrepancy, which prompted Clinton aides to say that their news release was misdated. Republican leaders also have called for an investigation of James Brosnahan, the Iran-Contra prosecutor who handed up the Weinberger indictment and donated $500 to the Clinton campaign. "He's a very active liberal Democrat," Mr. Dole said yesterday. "He's been engaged in a number of activities to try to derail Republicans." GOP senators have previously requested a Justice Department inquiry into the activities of Mr. Walsh and his staff in the six-year, $35 million investigation. The letter to Mr. Barr on Friday asked for a review of the following laws to determine if Mr. Walsh violated them: * 18 U.S. Code 595, which concerns government employees using their offices to "interfere with or affect the election of any candidate for president." The letter said that if political considerations went into the decision to release an indictment four days before an election, this law was violated. * 18 U.S. Code 241, which covers conspiracies to deprive a person of their constitutional rights. * Rule 6(e), which prohibits leaking grand jury testimony or decisions before they are incorporated into an indictment. "Press reports indicate that the Clinton/Gore presidential campaign released a press release dated October 29 which commented in detail on the indictment which was handed up one day later," the letter said. A Justice Department official said a response will be made to the request for an investigation of Mr. Walsh by early December, as required by law. Mr. Dole also reiterated his call for Mr. Bush to pardon Mr. Weinberger and all those implicated in the Iran-Contra scandal. "I'm not suggesting what he should do unless there's politics involved. Now, if there's politics involved, then I think it changes everything. But how do we find out if nobody will investigate?" he said. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM