Favoritism Denied in Case Against George Will’s Wife

A U.S. attorney denied today that he exercised political favoritism in opting to pursue civil rather than criminal proceedings against the estranged wife of conservative syndicated columnist George F. Will, a close friend of the President and Nancy Reagan.

WUSA-TV, a CBS affiliate, quoting sources, reported Wednesday that the House subcommittee on human resources and intergovernmental relations is investigating allegations that former U.S. Atty. Joseph diGenova engaged in political favoritism in a case against Assistant Secretary of Education Madeleine Will. The panel scheduled a June 23 hearing on the matter.

WUSA reported that diGenova, while he was U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, overruled strong recommendations of his assistant prosecutors who presented to a grand jury the case against Mrs. Will involving misuse of government funds, personnel and property.

However, diGenova told CBS radio today that attorneys in his office “decided that (the case) should be handled civilly and the matter was referred to the civil division for a lawsuit against Madeleine Will and the lawsuit was eventually settled and she paid back sums of money to the U.S. government.”

Mrs. Will denied allegations that she used a government limousine and driver for personal business but admitted she kept an employee on the federal payroll for nearly four months after the employee stopped working, the TV station reported.

Under the settlement, Mrs. Will, who continues in her position at the Education Department, wrote a check for $12,000 to the U.S. Treasury last year to reimburse the government for money paid the former aide.

WUSA reported that in 1986 the department’s inspector general’s office found that Mrs. Will submitted false travel vouchers for reimbursement, which she said was her secretary’s fault.

WUSA reported that Mrs. Will used a government limousine and driver to go to an Elizabeth Arden beauty salon and to make repeated trips for lunch to The Broker restaurant on Capitol Hill.