Ethics Trial Opens for Former Reagan Aide Lyn Nofziger

Jury selection began today in the conflict-of-interest trial of lobbyist and former White House political director Lyn C. Nofziger, who wore his trademark Mickey Mouse tie.

“I am innocent,” the 63-year-old veteran Republican political activist told reporters as he entered the U.S. Courthouse for the start of his trial, which could last four or five weeks.

U.S. District Judge Thomas A. Flannery said selecting a 12-member jury from a panel of 180 prospective jurors could take two or three days.

Nofziger, known for his rumpled appearance and irreverent humor, is charged on four felony counts of violating the ethics law that prohibits federal employees from lobbying the agency in which they worked for the first year after leaving the job. (Story, Page 6.)

Each count carries a two-year sentence and a maximum $10,000 fine.