Inquiry About Former Meese Aide Dropped

The Justice Department has concluded that there is no basis on which to conduct a criminal investigation of former Deputy Atty. Gen. Arnold Burns for promoting his former law partner for a judgeship, sources said today.

The criminal division’s public integrity section reached the conclusion, said the sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, after reviewing information about the relationship between Burns and Stuart Summit, who has been nominated to the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in New York.

Burns was still receiving payments from the law firm and had investments in limited partnerships with Summit at the time he was urging Summit’s nomination last year.

Burns resigned in protest in March over a different issue--the continued leadership of the department by Atty. Gen. Edwin Meese III, who then was under an independent counsel’s investigation for alleged conflicts of interest.

That probe concluded without indictment, though independent counsel James McKay said Meese “probably” violated the law on four occasions. Meese has since announced his own resignation, but has insisted that he was vindicated.

The Washington Times disclosed Burns’ support for Summit in articles last month, suggesting that the former deputy attorney general might have violated federal conflict-of-interest law.

Burns and former criminal division chief William Weld plan to testify Tuesday about their March 29 protest resignations.