The Nation : Rep. Swindall Asks for Swift Indictment

A two-term Georgia congressman under investigation in an alleged scheme to launder drug money asked that he be indicted immediately so that he can attempt to clear his name before the Nov. 8 election. Rep. Pat Swindall, a Republican facing a tough reelection fight in Georgia’s 4th Congressional District, took the floor of the House to make public what he termed an unprecedented request to Atty. Gen. Dick Thornburgh for the federal grand jury action. Swindall, 38, said that he has been a victim of “countless leaks of grand jury evidence” in the Atlanta newspapers and that he no longer could stand by while being tried in a forum in which he cannot defend himself. Published reports have said that Swindall was recorded by undercover Treasury Department agents investigating charges of a money-laundering operation allegedly run by drug dealers in the Atlanta area.