Meese Puts Loyalty to President First as Atty. Gen. Quality

Departing Atty. Gen. Edwin Meese III met privately with President Reagan today and afterward suggested the chief qualification for his successor at the Justice Department should be loyalty, then integrity and lastly, a knowledge of the law.

Meese, a longtime Reagan friend who resigned Tuesday claiming he was “completely vindicated” by a special prosecutor’s inquiry, told Cable News Network that his successor should have three qualities:

“One thing--loyalty to the President and willingness to advance his policies. Secondly, integrity, and I think third an understanding and knowledge of law enforcement and law so that person has the standing to provide leadership. . . . “

Meese’s critics in Congress have long complained that one of Meese’s problems was that he put loyalty to Reagan above integrity and law enforcement.

Told that Vice President George Bush and his staff are ecstatic about his departure, Meese said, “They may well be.” And he added, “If they are ecstatic, I’m glad I was able to help them.”