Path: bloom-picayune.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: Bush supports probe of Walsh Date: Tue, 10 Nov 92 15:13:22 EST Message-ID: \SE A \HD Bush supports probe of Walsh \SH But no pardons in Iran-Contra \BY Paul Bedard \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES President Bush will not pardon former Bush and Reagan officials implicated in the Iran-Contra scandal, but he supports an investigation into special prosecutor Lawrence Walsh's probe of the affair, senior officials said yesterday. "It's not going to happen," a senior administration official said of pardoning former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger and others linked to the scheme to sell arms to Iran in return for the release of American hostages. "We don't rule it out, but it's unlikely," said another Bush administration official, who said Mr. Bush has not been contacted by Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole or House Minority Leader Robert Michel, who are championing calls for pardons. But senior administration officials said late yesterday that Mr. Bush backs efforts by Mr. Dole and Mr. Michel to appoint a special prosecutor to look into charges that Mr. Walsh's office colluded with Bill Clinton's campaign to torpedo Mr. Bush's re-election chances at the last minute. "The Dole idea of a special prosecutor is something that the Congress can do themselves. You don't have to have us involved," spokesman Marlin Fitzwater said. Mr. Dole, meanwhile, demanded late yesterday that Mr. Walsh fire the San Francisco lawyer on his staff who filed a new indictment against Mr. Weinberger four days before the election. The indictment suggested that Mr. Bush had knowledge of the arms-for-hostages negotiations sooner than he had said. Bush-Quayle campaign officials said the indictment undercut Mr. Bush's efforts to rip Mr. Clinton's character. In his letter to Mr. Walsh, Mr. Dole suggested that the indictment, filed by James Brosnahan, was politically driven by the lawyer's support for Democrats such as Mr. Clinton. "The timing of the indictment - just four days before the November 3rd election - again raises the issue of whether politics was a factor in the decision-making process," wrote Mr. Dole, Kansas Republican. "It is my opinion that the credibility of your office is severely compromised by the employment of Mr. Brosnahan." Mr. Walsh had no immediate comment. In his letter, Mr. Dole described Mr. Brosnahan as a longtime Democrat who contributed $500 to the Clinton-Gore ticket. The letter also said that the law firm for which Mr. Brosnahan worked before joining Mr. Walsh's office last month contributed $20,000 to the Clinton-Gore campaign. Mr. Dole also noted that Mr. Brosnahan argued against the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist as chief justice during 1986 Senate hearings. He said Mr. Brosnahan also represented the Sacramento Bee in fending off a libel charge from former Sen. Paul Laxalt, Nevada Republican and a strong supporter of former President Reagan. "I have strong reservations over the ability of such an individual to function independently of what would appear to be a strong political bias," Mr. Dole said. Mr. Dole's call for a special investigation into Mr. Walsh's operation, however, will remain in limbo until he makes a formal request to the White House or the Justice Department. The Bush-Quayle '92 campaign blamed the Oct. 30 indictment, in part, for its defeat at the hands of Mr. Clinton. Included in the indictment was a Weinberger memo that suggested anew that Mr. Bush endorsed the trade of 4,000 TOW missiles for five U.S. hostages. Mr. Bush has said he was out of "the loop" of those planning the scheme. Aides to Mr. Dole and Mr. Michel said yesterday that they plan to vigorously pursue appointment of a special prosecutor, although they conceded that the Democratic-controlled Congress will probably withhold funding. Mr. Bush, who leaves for a six-day Florida fishing vacation today, is not expected to take any action this week. A senior Clinton aide dismissed the idea of appointing a special counsel to probe the alleged collusion between the Clinton-Gore campaign and the Walsh investigation. "It's the silliest thing I ever heard," said George Stephanopoulos, Mr. Clinton's communications director. "There's nothing to it. There's absolutely no contact between Judge Walsh and our campaign. It's a purely political maneuver, game, on the part of the House Republicans. . . . They're just trying to score some partisan points," Mr. Stephanopoulos told reporters in Little Rock, Ark., where Mr. Clinton is presiding over his transition to the White House. But the Republicans say the smoking gun of wrongdoing is the fact that a Clinton news release commenting on the Walsh indictment of Mr. Weinberger was dated Oct. 29, the day before the indictment came down. Mr. Stephanopoulos repeated a previous explanation that the date was a simple mistake. Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell said pardons would be "an abuse of power." Frank Shults, spokesman for the Justice Department, said no request had been made of the department by Mr. Dole to investigate Mr. Walsh or his office. * Jerry Seper and J. Jennings Moss contributed to this report. 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