Rehnquist Won’t Delay Deaver’s Perjury Trial
Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist on Wednesday refused to postpone the scheduled July 13 perjury trial of former White House aide Michael K. Deaver.
Rehnquist said there is no urgency in holding up the trial to give federal appeals courts an opportunity to examine Deaver’s attack on the constitutionality of a law creating independent counsels to investigate top government officials.
“There will be time enough for (Deaver) to present his constitutional claim to the appellate courts if and when he is convicted of the charges against him,” Rehnquist said.
Deaver, former deputy chief of staff to President Reagan, is accused of five counts of lying about his lobbying activities to Congress and to the federal grand jury that indicted him June 18.
Deaver is the first person ever indicted under the Ethics in Government Act that created the independent counsel.
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