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: Barr considering Walsh investigation Date: Fri, 13 Nov 92 15:11:15 EST Message-ID: \SE A;NATION \HD Barr considering Walsh investigation \BY Jerry Seper \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES Attorney General William P. Barr is considering a request that he appoint an independent counsel to investigate allegations that Iran-Contra prosecutor Lawrence Walsh used his office to embarrass President Bush in the waning days of the 1992 campaign. Mr. Barr has until Dec. 11 to respond to a request by four GOP members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. In a formal letter, the senators asked whether Mr. Walsh had done anything "illegal, improper or unethical" in bringing the indictment of former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger four days before the presidential election. The attorney general, according to Justice Department officials, also will respond to a separate request for an investigation, made by Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole. The Kansas Republican said Mr. Walsh and his staff may have been involved in "partisanship and election-year manipulation." Justice spokesman Dean St. Dennis said the formal, written request by Sens. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, Alan Simpson of Wyoming, Charles Grassley of Iowa and Hank Brown of Colorado fell under the government's Independent Counsel Act and a response is due by law in 30 days. "The attorney general also will respond to Mr. Dole's request in due course," Mr. St. Dennis said without elaboration. The senators say the indictment - alleging that then-Vice President Bush was not "out of the loop" as he has claimed in an alleged arms deal involving efforts to obtain U.S. hostages being held in Lebanon - was a politically motivated act, aimed at hurting the president's re-election bid. "We have questions whether or not improper political considerations went into the timing of the indictment, and whether improper disclosure of the indictment was made to the Clinton/Gore campaign," the four Judiciary Committee members said in their letter. Of concern to the senators is an Oct. 30 Clinton-Gore press release attacking Mr. Bush and his alleged Iran-Contra connection. The detailed release was issued less than two hours after the indictment was announced but was dated Oct. 29. Clinton campaign officials have denied they had prior knowledge of the indictment, and say the Oct. 29 date was an error. The indictment prompted a new round of charges from Mr. Clinton and denials from Mr. Bush and, according to political insiders, derailed what appeared to be a gain in momentum for Mr. Bush's candidacy. The indictment was the second of Mr. Weinberger and was based on his notes that place Mr. Bush in a January 1986 meeting in which the alleged arrangement was discussed. It was sought by Mr. Walsh to replace a similar indictment dismissed last month by a federal judge. Mr. Walsh has denied that politics were involved in his decision to release the indictment. He said he was trying to meet court deadlines in a case scheduled for trial in January. Critics have said the indictment may have been intended to help move a Democrat into the White House to salvage the independent counsel law, which expires Dec. 15. According to legislative officials, the law was expected to face a strong challenge but may survive now that Mr. Clinton has won the election. 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