Democrats Rap Justice Dept. on Contra Inquiry

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee sharply criticized the Justice Department today for beginning its own broad investigation of aid to Nicaraguan rebels instead of turning the matter over to a special prosecutor.

Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), chairman of the House Judiciary subcommittee on criminal law, contended that the department “is handling the matter unprofessionally” and that the Reagan Administration “is not interested in a clean and credible disposition of the matter.”

Weeks before Atty. Gen. Edwin Meese III disclosed that profits from the sale of arms to Iran had been secretly diverted to the contra rebels, Conyers and 10 other Judiciary Committee Democrats urged a special prosecutor investigation of “apparent illegal efforts of U.S. officials and others to assist” the rebels through private funds.

The original request was sparked by the Oct. 5 downing of a contra supply plane in Nicaragua with a U.S. crew.

Request for Prosecutor

The Justice Department asked a three-judge federal court last Thursday to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the fund transfer to the contras from arms sales to Iran.

But on Tuesday, Meese told a London news conference that the request does not include the broader allegations cited by the Judiciary Committee members.

Other signers of the request to Meese were just as critical as Conyers.

Rep. Patricia Schroeder (D-Colo.) said that, under Meese’s request to the court, the special prosecutor would have a “blindfold over one eye and a handcuff over one hand.”

Rep. Don Edwards (D-Calif.) said: “This confirms our fears. He’s sending a message to the public that ‘you needn’t worry about the expanded investigation because we’re going to do in it in the Department of Justice.’ That’s totally unacceptable because it’s a very large conflict of interest.”