Senate Probe of Wife’s Finances Clears Hatfield

A Senate Ethics Committee report today cleared Sen. Mark O. Hatfield (R-Ore.) of any wrongdoing in his wife’s accepting $55,000 from Greek financier Basil Tsakos, saying “not one witness” testified that corruption was involved.

The panel released a 22-page final report of a monthlong probe to determine whether payments Tsakos made to Antoinette Hatfield, a real estate agent, influenced her husband to support a proposed $12-billion trans-African oil pipeline Tsakos was promoting.

The committee’s review of the published allegations concluded Sept. 25 that there was “no credible information” to justify further investigation, but the report was not made public until today.

The document said the Justice Department, which has not said whether it is investigating the allegations, “has an independent responsibility to come to its own determination on these transactions.”

The committee can reopen the investigation if federal investigators find new information or “some other legitimate reason,” the report concluded.

Hatfield asked the committee last August to review publicized disclosures that Tsakos paid his wife $55,000 in fees for services in 1982 and 1983 while the financier sought, and obtained, the senator’s support for the pipeline.