Won’t Be Forced Out, Meese Says : He Lashes Out at ‘Vicious and Unfair’ Attacks From Liberals

Atty. Gen. Edwin Meese III said in an interview published today that he will not allow “vicious” and “unfair” attacks by liberals to force him to resign.

“I’m here to serve the President and he feels that I should continue to serve him, and so that’s why nobody--no political opponent, no unfair attack--is going to force me out,” Meese told the Washington Times.

The interview marked the first time the attorney general has responded to recent criticism about his role in the Iran- contra affair and the defense-industry scandal involving Wedtech Corp.

Getting at Reagan

Meese said liberal politicians are trying to force him to leave office under a cloud as a way to discredit President Reagan.

Those who “have launched such a vicious series of attacks . . . have come from the most liberal or from the ultra-liberal or left-wing forces within the opposition,” he said.

Nine Democratic House members on Friday signed a request for Meese to resign, contending that he tried to cover up the Iran-contra scandal. The group, headed by Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.), also cited allegations that Meese acted improperly in helping Wedtech Corp. of New York obtain a defense contract while he was White House counselor in 1982, and said he filed incomplete financial disclosure reports under the Ethics in Government Act.

Blamed on Errors

Meese has denied any wrongdoing in the Wedtech case, which is under investigation by an independent counsel, and has said any errors in his disclosure statement were inadvertent.

Meese, in the newspaper interview, said that the disclosure law was very complex and that scrutiny of the disclosure forms of members of Congress would reveal similar errors. He said he was correcting his disclosure statements.

He said he still could provide effective leadership to the Justice Department and had an obligation to stay on and fight against those who oppose Reagan’s agenda.

“The people that I have talked to feel that if key members of the President’s team allow negative attacks to drive them out of office or make them unavailable to assist the President, then essentially the battle is lost,” he said.