Congressmen Clamoring for Meese to Quit : Byrd Calls Him Crown Jewel of Sleaze; GOP Senator Joins Attack

Atty. Gen. Edwin Meese III, denounced by Senate Majority Leader Robert C. Byrd as “the crown jewel of the sleaze factor in Reagan Administration history,” faced increasing pressure from Congress Wednesday to step down a day after two top-level officials and four of their aides resigned from his Justice Department.

Byrd, leading a growing list of senators and representatives who have called for Meese’s resignation, said: “The President ought to ask somebody--if he doesn’t want to ask him himself--to ask Mr. Meese to step aside, step down.”

‘Standard for Bank Robber’

Sen. Bob Packwood of Oregon, the first GOP senator to call for Meese’s resignation, said that the Administration “would be better off with his leaving.” He added: “I think it is unfortunate if the standard is going to be we will all wait until we’re indicted. That is the standard for a bank robber and should not be the standard for high public office.”

There was no sign that President Reagan was wavering in his support for the attorney general. When asked about reported demands that Meese step down, Reagan said at a Rose Garden ceremony for high school science students: “I have every confidence in him. He’s been a friend for 20 years, and I’m not going to comment any further on what is going on there.”

Meese himself gave no indication that anything was wrong. “The Department of Justice has been operating as usual,” Meese told reporters as he left the building Wednesday. “We are in the process of finding replacements” for Deputy Atty. Gen. Arnold I. Burns and William F. Weld, former assistant attorney general in charge of the criminal division.

In a move that was said to have “shocked” Meese, Burns and Weld resigned Tuesday in what associates said was an effort to distance themselves from allegations of wrongdoing that involve the attorney general. Two top aides to Burns and Weld’s two assistants also are leaving the department.

When asked about speculation that Solicitor General Charles Fried would resign as well, Meese replied: “I have no doubt that Mr. Fried will remain a strong member of the management team.” Fried, at the Supreme Court to argue a case, turned aside reporters’ questions.

White House Concerned

The outburst Wednesday from Capitol Hill was the strongest concerted denunciation of Meese since independent counsel James C. McKay began an investigation of Meese last May. Senior officials, in varying degrees, acknowledged that the White House is becoming increasingly concerned about the situation.

Even Vice President George Bush, campaigning in Wisconsin, indicated that he is irritated with the Meese controversy. Although voicing support for Reagan and Meese in interviews with local reporters, Bush said: “We’ve got to restore confidence in the Justice Department.”

“I will not prejudge the attorney general,” he said, “but I will say it troubles me.” (Story on Page 18.)

Sen. Dennis DeConcini of Arizona, a conservative Democrat who has often supported the Reagan Administration’s law enforcement policies, sent a letter to Meese urging him to step down because the Justice Department cannot function with an attorney general “under siege” and under suspicion.

DeConcini told reporters that he believes “it’s only a matter of time” before Meese leaves office.

Criticism Being Ignored

But one senior White House official said that the calls for Meese’s resignation are “pretty much being ignored here because they’re all natural enemies of Meese.” The official said that “the situation has always been if there’s an indictment, it’s a serious matter . . . . An indictment is the only thing that will make a difference.”

Other officials have said that, given Reagan’s strong feelings about Meese, any effort against him within the White House will have to originate with the First Lady.

Meese and White House Chief of Staff Howard H. Baker Jr. discussed the subject of Meese’s resigning, one knowledgeable source said Wednesday, and the attorney general was adamant about remaining in office. The source emphasized that Baker did not urge that Meese resign or remain but simply discussed the issue with him.

Another senior White House official said that the President had been briefed by Baker “on all this” and that Reagan was “certainly aware of the concerns.” However, “everybody knows how the President feels about Meese,” the official said in explaining the reluctance of fellow members of the senior staff to press Reagan to encourage Meese to step down.

The official said that on March 16 Burns and Weld met with Baker and “told him their concerns.” Rather than pass them on at that time to the President, Baker told the officials to take their problems to Meese, the source said.

A White House staff member said that “there are no calculated moves to encourage or discourage anybody” in connection with efforts to remove Meese. “No steps are being taken to force the issue,” he said. “My sense is there is a level of frustration . . . but not at the level that we’re trying to force him out.”

Wants First Lady to Act

The tone throughout the Capitol, however, was far more urgent. “Nancy Reagan ought to make another phone call,” said Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.), alluding to the First Lady’s reported influence in the departure of Donald T. Regan, former White House chief of staff. “How many more days can this go on?”

Another Republican who has spoken out on the issue, Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, said that the controversy surrounding Meese already has resulted in significant political damage to the GOP.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that it is very harmful to the Republican Party and could hurt our nominee in the fall,” Specter said. But he wants an explanation from Meese about Tuesday’s resignations before he decides whether the attorney general should step down.

Even beyond the political fallout, Specter--a former prosecutor and GOP moderate--said that the overriding issue is whether the Meese controversy has paralyzed the operation of the Justice Department. “I am concerned as a Republican, but I am more concerned as an American,” he told reporters.

Although Meese maintained that it is business as usual at the department, saying he expects to announce successors to Burns and Weld “in the very near future,” attorneys in the criminal division report otherwise.

Speculation Over Successors

Officials have been swamped with phone calls about the resignations, they said, and department work has been slowed by low morale and constant distractions involving speculation over the Burns and Weld successors.

In addition, there have been at least six apparent incidents of anti-Meese graffiti scrawled within the Justice Department building. They began last month, and the department has developed a procedure for documenting and photographing them, then painting over them.

On the wall inside the doors of the attorney general’s official entrance, the word “resign” was written. At another elevator bank, “sleaze” appeared in red.

For the last nine months, independent counsel McKay has been investigating Meese on a number of grounds, ranging from his role in the Wedtech Corp. to his involvement in a proposed $1-billion Iraqi pipeline, a project that led to an examination of possible violations under federal anti-bribery laws.

In the most recent development in his investigation, McKay has broadened his search to include any funds Meese possibly received from E. Robert Wallach, Meese’s longtime friend and former lawyer, and jobs held by Meese’s wife, Ursula, since they came to Washington with Reagan in 1981, sources familiar with his investigation confirmed Wednesday.

Mrs. Meese’s Job Probed

About 10 days ago, McKay subpoenaed financial records of Mrs. Meese’s $40,000-a-year position with the Multiple Sclerosis Society’s chapter in Washington, attempting to learn whether Wallach had anything to do with her landing the job, according to the sources.

Wallach, along with Meese’s former financial adviser, is under indictment on federal racketeering and conspiracy charges that include allegations that he accepted money from Wedtech to influence Meese as a government official. McKay is trying to learn whether there was any quid pro quo for the assistance Meese gave Wallach on government programs for which Wallach received fees.

Wallach played “a peripheral role” in Mrs. Meese’s obtaining the multiple sclerosis position, which she has held since late 1985, Wallach lawyer George G. Walker said, confirming a Washington Post report.

Walker said that his client had suggested the possibility of Mrs. Meese’s doing a weekly public affairs show for a local radio station.

The Multiple Sclerosis Society, where Mrs. Meese had been working as a volunteer since 1981, learned that she was considering the radio job and proposed a salaried position with the society to keep her aboard, according to James Bierbower, an attorney for the society.

To raise the funds for her position, Bierbower said, the society obtained a contribution from a nonprofit organization known as the Bender Foundation, a frequent contributor to the society. The foundation is run by the same family that owns the radio station.

Walker said that Wallach played no role in lining up the funds for Mrs. Meese’s position.

Staff writer James Gerstenzang contributed to this story.