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- From: harelb@math.cornell.edu (misc.activism.progressive co-moderator)
- Subject: THE OCTOBER SUPRISE: "Probes and Possibilities" (1)
- Message-ID: <1992Nov6.112950.29814@mont.cs.missouri.edu>
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- Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1992 11:29:50 GMT
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-
- THE OCTOBER SUPRISE: "Probes and Possibilities" (1)
-
-
- "I am appalled at the lack of interest in Congress. You would
- think they would immediately convene an investigation, or at least
- name a commission. This issue should bring down the Bush
- presidency."
-
- "Part of the beauty of this is that none of the key players were
- in government at the time" says Weinglass. "So George Bush could
- be compelled to testify under oath, because these alleged crimes
- occurred at a time when he held no office."
-
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-
- =============================
- T H E F I R S T S T O N E
- =============================
- By Joel Bleifuss
- [In These Times, May 1-7, 1991, page 4]
-
-
- ===============================================
- P r o b e s a n d p o s s i b i l i t i e s
- ===============================================
-
- The 1984 Reagan-Bush campaign's arms-for-hostages deal with
- Iran is still in the news. But as the scandal smolders, what next?
- Will it be smothered by the calculated indifference of a national
- media that is most in its element quantifying the frequent-flyer
- miles of Chief of Staff John Sununu? (He is, after all, a smoking
- top gun.) Or will this decade-old tale of treason ignite a wildfire
- of righteous indignation, ensuring that Bush's will be a one-term
- presidency? At the moment, that may seem farfetched, but two
- weeks ago, when the Frontline special titled "An Election Held
- Hostage" aired, 5 percent of all U.S. TVs were tuned in to
- Frontline. Millions now know of the deal.
-
- SPECIALLY PROSECUTED: Clearly, Iran-contra Independent Coun-
- sel Lawrence Walsh could look into the matter. In December 1986
- the Washington, D.C., circuit court instructed Walsh "to investi-
- gate and, if warranted, to prosecute alleged violations of federal
- criminal laws by lt. Col. Oliver L. North, other U.S. government
- officials, or other individuals acting in concert with lt. Col. North
- or with other U.S. government officials, from in or around January
- 1985 (the exact date being unknown) to the present, in connec-
- tion with the sale or shipment of military arms to Iran and the
- transfer or diversion of funds realized in connection with such
- sale or shipment." The court's use of the temporal preposition "in
- or around" and the inclusion of the subsequent parenthetical
- clause, indicate that U.S. arms illegally traded to Iran in 1981
- would fall under Walsh's purview.
-
- Will Walsh investigate? Sam Witucki, deputy press officer at the
- independent counsel's office, said: "We can neither confirm nor
- deny that." She did say that the office had received a lot of ques-
- tions on the subject, and she faxed me the documents that laid
- out Walsh's mandate. (If you have an opinion on the matter, the
- independent counsel's phone number is (202) 383-8940.)
-
- But wouldn't it be more appropriate for Congress to open up a
- full-scale investigation? Despite the flaws of its Iran-contra in-
- quiry, those hearings exposed more of that scandal than the
- lackluster non-partisan Tower Commission.
-
- AN INQUIRING CONGRESS: Frank Askin, a Rutgers law professor,
- is counsel to the House subcommittee on criminal justice chaired
- by Rep. John Conyers (D - MI,). In 1988, Askin, in his work with the
- committee, investigated charges that such a deal was made. In
- the fall of that year, he told me, "My personal opinion? Things
- were going on in high places. I think there is a significant amount
- of circumstantial evidence that indicates some representatives of
- the Reagan-Bush 1980 campaign were having secret negotiations
- with Iranian officials regarding the hostages. There is enough
- circumstantial evidence and [the alleged deal] is so important
- that it is certainly worthy of investigation. Who should do that in-
- vestigation? At least the historians and journalists."
-
- Well, journalists have investigated. It is now time for Congress
- to take up the matter. But will it ? Last week Askin said, "The
- issue [of he 1980 deal] has been mentioned but there is nothing
- formally going on at this moment." (If you think Congress should
- investigate the alleged deal, the House Judiciary Committee can
- be reached at (202) 225-3951.)
-
- LEGAL OPTIONS: In the fall of 188, New York attorney Leonard
- Weinglass also talked with former hostages about bringing suit
- against those Americans who allegedly made the deal with Iran.
-
- "The lawsuit never went ahead," says Weinglass.."But I won't
- say the issue is dead. And now with the renewed interest, there
- may be a second look at litigation."
-
- According to Weinglass, the ideal forum to air the issue would
- be congressional hearings. But he is not sure Congress has either
- the nerve or the verve. "I am appalled at the lack of interest in
- Congress. You would think they would immediately convene an
- investigation, or at least name a commission. This issue should
- bring down the Bush presidency. But there isn't a spark of in-
- terest in the moribund Democratic Party, which lost the presi-
- dency as a result of this conspiracy." he says. "For all of its weak-
- nesses, the only viable vehicle for getting at this and to educate
- the country is a congressional hearing. Granted, Congress
- dropped the ball in Iran-contra, but you have to remember that
- Congress was limited by the North prosecution. I would prefer to
- think in terms of the Watergate hearings that were more open-
- ended."
-
- Even if Congress fails to pick up the issue, the layers won't
- "Part of the beauty of this is that none of the key players were in
- government at the time" says Weinglass. "So George Bush could
- be compelled to testify under oath, because these alleged crimes
- occurred at a time when he held no office."
-
-
- =====================
- ( C o n t i n u e d )
- =====================
-
-
-