The Unsorted BBS Collection/thegreatunsorted.tar/thegreatunsorted/texts/txtfiles_misc/news93b

Text File | 1993-02-28 | 2KB | 32 lines

Part 2 of 2
   The fallout was immediate. U.S. District Judge Jerome Turner
blasted the decision, the U.S. attorney quit, and one critic, legal
conservative Bruce Fein, said Gerson's position in the case was
based on a "racist principle." House Republicans called for a
congressional investigation of the Justice Department reversal.
   Others, including former Bush administration colleagues who spoke
on condition of anonymity, accused Gerson of caving in to political
pressure. Some alleged that he was trying to ingratiate himself with
the Clinton administration to get a new job.
   He denies both charges, saying he has carried out his job "with
independence and without interference from the White House or
anybody else." But he added he has no desire to stay.
   "I have never talked to anybody in the Clinton administration
about a job nor would I," he said. Instead, the 49-year-old father
of three said he has been negotiating with several law firms.
   The timing of Gerson's decision in Ford's case, Feb. 19, raised
eyebrows, as it occurred one day after he met with Black Caucus
members and shortly before the trial was scheduled to begin.
   But Gerson said the case didn't come to his attention until Feb.
16. That was after the White House spoke with Webster Hubbell, who
is working at Justice as a liaison to the White House.
   The criticism, which extended to career Justice Department
ttorneys, was tempered by plaudits from The New York Times.
   A Feb. 25 editorial on the Ford case said Gerson had "handled one
major controversy with distinction" and that "his actions deserve
praise, not second-guessing."
   Just four days earlier, a Times editorial lauded him as an
"unlikely ally" of Brady bill supporters: "For his act of conscience
and common sense, give Mr. Gerson credit for a stylish parting
shot."