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- <text id=89TT2511>
- <link 90TT0378>
- <title>
- Sep. 25, 1989: American Notes:HUD
- </title>
- <history>
- TIME--The Weekly Newsmagazine--1989
- Sep. 25, 1989 Boardwalk Of Broken Dreams
- </history>
- <article>
- <source>Time Magazine</source>
- <hdr>
- NATION, Page 29
- American Notes
- HUD
- More Silence From Sam
- </hdr><body>
- <p> Friday was supposed to be a big day for Samuel Pierce,
- Ronald Reagan's Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
- Pierce had agreed to testify before the House subcommittee
- investigating charges that his department had a soft spot for
- well-connected Republicans who garnered huge fees for helping
- developers land multimillion-dollar federal housing contracts.
- But Pierce, known as Silent Sam, decided to live up to the name.
- He informed the panel, headed by California's Democratic
- Congressman Tom Lantos, that he was canceling his appearance.
- He said his newly hired lawyers needed more time to prepare.
- </p>
- <p> Pierce's sudden withdrawal drew bipartisan fire. Lambasting
- him for "deceitful" conduct, Lantos said the ex-Cabinet member
- had broken a "gentleman's agreement" concluded after two earlier
- delays granted at his request. "Not only is Silent Sam silent,"
- said Ohio Republican Donald Lukens, "apparently today he's also
- invisible." Republican members are expected to support Democrats
- this week when the subcommittee ponders whether to compel Pierce
- to appear before it by issuing him a subpoena.
- </p>
-
- </body></article>
- </text>
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