Meese Testifies in Nofziger Lobby Probe
Atty. Gen. Edwin Meese III testified before a federal grand jury Monday in an independent counsel’s investigation of lobbying by former White House aide Lyn Nofziger on behalf of Fairchild Industries Inc.
Independent counsel James C. McKay, who is also investigating efforts by Nofziger, Meese and others to help another defense contractor, Wedtech Corp., questioned Meese for 2 1/2 hours in his second appearance before the grand jury in three months.
Nathan Lewin, Meese’s attorney, would say only that the attorney general had answered all of McKay’s questions. Another source close to Meese said that the subject was Fairchild and that Meese was being treated as a witness, not a target of possible criminal charges.
Focus on Air Force Pact
The inquiry focuses on efforts by Fairchild in 1982 to obtain an extension of its contract to produce A-10 attack planes for the Air Force. The Chantilly, Va., firm hired Washington attorney Stanton Anderson, who brought in Nofziger for lobbying help shortly after Nofziger left his job as White House political director and began a public relations business.
Investigators are examining Nofziger’s contacts with Meese, then White House counselor, who reportedly wrote memos supporting Fairchild’s position.
A federal conflict-of-interest law prohibits high-ranking government officials from lobbying their former agencies for a year after they leave office.
Fairchild, faced with a government decision to phase out the A-10 after producing 713 of the warplanes, sought funding for 20 more in the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 1982. The Reagan Administration asked Congress for the funding but the request was denied.
Investigation Widened
When McKay was appointed by a three-judge panel last February, his investigation focused on lobbying by Nofziger to help New York-based Wedtech obtain a $31-million Army contract for small engines. McKay broadened the inquiry on May 11 to look at Meese’s involvement with the scandal-ridden firm. The investigation was expanded to include activities by Nofziger and Meese on behalf of Fairchild.
A key question in the Wedtech aspect of the inquiry centers on whether Meese received any money or other special consideration for helping the firm, which has been accused in both federal and state investigations of using illegal inducements to get federal contracts.
Sought ‘Fair Hearing’
Meese, who has denied any improprieties, has acknowledged that his White House office took steps in 1982 to get Wedtech “a fair hearing” on its attempt to obtain the Army contract. He has acknowledged that, at the time, his office received memos on Wedtech’s behalf from San Francisco attorney E. Robert Wallach, a longtime friend and associate who became an attorney and adviser to Wedtech.
Two years later, Wallach and another attorney represented Meese in connection with an independent counsel investigation of his personal finances. The lawyers did not bill Meese for about $248,000 in legal fees that the federal government refused to cover after Meese was cleared. McKay reportedly is examining whether the “forgiveness” of some legal fees was a “consideration” that Meese received from Wallach.
