Defense Rests Without Calling Nofziger : He Doesn’t Take Stand to Testify About White House Contacts

The defense in Lyn Nofziger’s trial on illegal-lobbying charges rested today without calling the former presidential aide to testify about the alleged contacts he had with one-time White House colleagues.

Attorneys for Nofziger, 63, had called six witnesses on his behalf.

The former White House political director is accused in four felony counts of illegally contacting one-time colleagues on President Reagan’s staff for Wedtech Corp. and two other lobbying clients in 1982.

Lawyers for Nofziger’s business partner, Mark A. Bragg, who is charged with aiding and abetting one of the alleged lobbying contacts, rested their case without calling any witnesses.

U.S. District Judge Thomas A. Flannery excused the jury until Tuesday, when attorneys for both sides are scheduled to make final arguments. Testimony in the trial began Jan. 19. Each of the charges against Nofziger and Bragg carries a two-year sentence and a $10,000 fine.

In presenting its case, the defense tried to show that none of the issues Nofziger is accused of lobbying former colleagues about were of “direct and substantial interest” to the White House when he made the allegedly illegal contacts.

In order to prove Nofziger guilty of the ethics-law violations, the prosecution team headed by independent counsel James C. McKay must show that the issues were of substantial interest to the White House.

During arguments last week outside the presence of jurors, Flannery questioned whether McKay had proven direct White House interest in the award of an Army contract to Wedtech Corp.

But at the time, the judge refused to dismiss any of the charges against Nofziger.