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: Probe request is official Date: Thu, 12 Nov 92 14:51:51 EST Message-ID: \SE A \HD Probe request is official \SH GOP senators suspect Walsh \BY Michael Hedges \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES Senate Republicans yesterday officially called for a special prosecutor to investigate Lawrence Walsh, the special prosecutor whose controversial Iran-Contra probe many feel became a factor in the presidential election. "The entire Walsh operation appears to have been seriously compromised by recent developments, including strong indications of partisanship and election-year manipulation," said Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole. "It is time to clear the air," the Kansas Republican said yesterday. "I believe Mr. Walsh would welcome this opportunity to defend the independence of the independent counsel's office. The American people deserve no less." The request for a special counsel to probe Mr. Walsh was forwarded to Attorney General William P. Barr with the signatures of four GOP senators serving on the Judiciary Committee - Alan Simpson of Wyoming, Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, Hank Brown of Colorado and Charles Grassley of Iowa. Republicans have been incensed since an indictment of former Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger sought by a Walsh deputy, longtime Democrat James Brosnahan, was returned on Oct. 30, four days before the election. No one from the Justice Department could be reached for comment yesterday on the GOP request for a special prosecutor. Mr. Barr has 30 days to respond in writing to the request. The promise by Republicans to "vigorously" pursue the Walsh matter has already made a deep impression on President-elect Bill Clinton, according to high-ranking congressional staff members. "He was stunned by Dole's comments Sunday," said one House aide this week. "He believes this could be wrecking the honeymoon that never got started." On CBS-TV's "Face the Nation" Sunday, Mr. Dole blasted Mr. Walsh and the Oct. 30 indictment. Relations between Republican members of Congress and Mr. Walsh were strained before the Oct. 30 indictment. This summer, 75 GOP members signed a letter to the Justice Department calling for a probe of Mr. Walsh's expenditures. Rep. John J. "Jimmy" Duncan Jr., Tennessee Republican, said yesterday: "I was a criminal court judge, and to me this is an abuse of the grand jury process. I don't think there is any doubt that Lawrence Walsh's staff has misused its authority. This has been a political prosecution since Day One." Mr. Duncan said: "This puts a real cloud over the presidency. President-elect Clinton should at the very least make a statement that he had nothing to do with this. It is a sad use of a federal grand jury to influence an election this way." Some Republicans urged President Bush to pardon all those convicted or facing trial in the Iran-Contra probe, a six-year, $35 million Walsh effort to investigate arms-for-hostages deals during the Reagan administration. One attorney close to the case said, "I think there is only a small chance Mr. Bush will pardon anybody in this case, but I think it could turn into a political bloodbath that will destroy any harmony Clinton hoped to bring to Capitol Hill." The Oct. 30 indictment, which superseded an earlier one filed against Mr. Weinberger in the summer, revealed for the first time a Weinberger note that the Clinton-Gore campaign quickly called a "smoking gun" linking Mr. Bush to the Iran-Contra affair. The indictment derailed a comeback effort by Mr. Bush during the last week of the campaign, according to Vice President Dan Quayle and others. Mr. Walsh said the timing of the indictment was not political by design. He denied charges of collusion between Mr. Brosnahan and the Clinton-Gore campaign. Republicans remain suspicious and upset over several factors, including the Clinton-Gore camp's news release detailing the indictment - dated the day before and issued within two hours of the filing of charges - and Mr. Brosnahan's long affiliation with Democratic causes. Clinton aides said the news release was misdated. Privately, even some Democrats are saying that the indictment should have been delayed until after the election to avoid either actual or perceived cooperation between a special prosecutor and a presidential campaign. One Democrat who has been a prosecutor and is familiar with Mr. Walsh's probe said, "That indictment before the election was absolutely designed to embarrass Bush, no doubt in my mind." But Clinton aides said they did not expect the attacks to poison any honeymoon the president-elect may have in Washington. Clinton communications director George Stephanopoulos said yesterday that he believed Mr. Clinton tried to call Mr. Dole but was not able to make contact, although he expected the two men to talk in "the next few days." When Mr. Clinton travels to Washington next week for meetings with congressional leaders and possibly Mr. Bush, the president-elect is also expected to confer with Mr. Dole and other Republican lawmakers, Mr. Stephanopoulos said. Clinton spokeswoman Dee Dee Myers said Mr. Clinton's meetings next week with congressional GOP leaders will "get things started off on the right foot." Asked whether Republican anger over Mr. Walsh could hurt Mr. Clinton's Capitol Hill honeymoon, Miss Myers said: "I think that they'll act in good faith. I think everbody got a signal from the electorate this year that they're tired of the gridlock and they want to see some real action." In a letter to Mr. Dole on Tuesday, Mr. Walsh attacked the Senate Republican leader for his criticism of his probe. "It is my hope that your concern for Mr. Weinberger will not distort your ultimate evaluation of Mr. Brosnahan or me or my office," Mr. Walsh wrote. Mr. Brosnahan was brought in from a San Francisco law firm to try the Weinberger case after Walsh deputy Craig Gillen recused himself last month because he was a potential witness in the case. Mr. Brosnahan was a Clinton campaign contributor before joining Mr. Walsh's staff, and he headed a San Francisco law firm whose employees donated more than $20,000 to Clinton-Gore. A special prosecutor can be fired only for "extraordinary impropriety or severe disability." The causes for dismissal would include breaking the law or committing gross malfeasance in office. The independent counsel law is scheduled to expire Dec. 15. It was killed by a threatened Republican filibuster in the closing days of the Senate session last month. 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