Ethics Charge Against Gingrich Made Public by Ally of Wright

Rep. Bill Alexander (D-Ark.) made public Friday an ethics complaint he has prepared against House Republican Whip Newt Gingrich that accuses Gingrich of nine “apparent violations” of House rules in connection with a $100,000 promotion fund for his 1984 book.

Alexander said he intends to file the complaint soon with the House Ethics Committee, which is preparing to issue a report on a nine-month investigation of Speaker Jim Wright’s financial conduct that was set off by a complaint that Gingrich filed nearly a year ago.

Gingrich, a Georgia Republican, immediately labeled the move part of “a systematic Democratic smear” that made a mockery of the procedures for raising ethical questions in the House.

He countercharged that Alexander once had lost his deputy whip’s position for lying to former Speaker Thomas P. (Tip) O’Neill Jr. about a foreign trip he had taken.

“This is a humiliatingly dumb set of accusations,” Gingrich said in a telephone interview. He said he had spent a year doing research and had consulted with lawyers before he filed his charges against Wright.

Gingrich has said there was nothing illegal or improper about the way he raised $100,000 from political supporters to promote his 1984 book, “Window of Opportunity,” in a futile attempt to turn it into a best-seller.

However, Alexander charged that money received by Gingrich and his wife, Marianne, did not qualify as book royalties and therefore exceeded the congressional limits on outside earned income in 1987. He said the $100,000 could be considered a gift from persons who had a direct interest in legislation, violating the $100 limit on such presents.

The publicizing of the complaint by Alexander, a close ally of the Speaker, is apparently part of a counteroffensive by Wright’s supporters in anticipation of the Ethics Committee’s report on his case, expected next week.

One of the main issues in the investigation of the Speaker is whether he used a book contract to circumvent congressional limits on fees for speaking or writing articles. Book royalties are exempt from the ceiling, set at 30% of a House member’s annual salary, or about $28,000.

In his draft complaint, Alexander charged also that Gingrich used members of his congressional staff to help write the book--a charge made against Wright by Gingrich. If this is true, Alexander said, it would be an improper use of government funds for personal benefit.

Gingrich said that the fund was established with $5,000 contributions from such persons as former Republican Rep. Howard (Bo) Callaway of Georgia, now chairman of a conservative political action committee named GOPAC. Another contributor was Pierre S. (Pete) du Pont IV, former Republican governor of Delaware.

His wife received $10,000 for her work in promoting the book, Gingrich has said. In his complaint, Alexander said that the payments to the Gingriches could be construed as improper gifts if any of the partners in the book promotion fund had an interest in legislation. The book, once released, did not earn enough to cover the publisher’s costs despite the extensive advertising and promotion efforts.