The Times Poll : Wright Should Resign if Not Cleared, 49% Say

Almost one-half of the American public thinks Rep. Jim Wright (D-Tex.) should resign as Speaker of the House unless he is completely cleared of charges that he violated congressional ethics rules, the Times Poll has found.

Compared to the strong feelings of these 49%, another 41% believe that Wright’s speakership should hinge on what, if anything, he is found guilty of when the House completes its investigation.

The survey found bad news for Wright among Americans who are familiar with the long bill of particulars lodged against him. These people are convinced by more than 2 to 1 that he acted unethically as a member of Congress.

Many in Dark on Charges

But in what may be a sign of hope for the embattled Democratic leader, 52% of the respondents said that they do not really know much about the charges against Wright. And three-fourths believe that other congressmen are equally guilty of doing the same things that Wright is charged with.

The Times interviewed 1,203 Americans on Saturday and Sunday. The results are accurate within a range of 4 percentage points in either direction.

An accurate gauge of public opinion has become important in the Wright affair as members of Congress returned to their districts last week and reported little voter concern over the events that have consumed the House. Without evidence of such constituent pressure on Congress, Wright’s allies had begun to call the ethics investigation “survivable.”

Despite partisan overtones in Washington, the Wright inquiry registers just about the same feelings among the public regardless of party affiliation.

The poll, however, found measurable differences in disposition toward Wright depending on whether the respondents were among the 45% who described themselves as familiar with the inquiry or the 52% who were not.

Of those Americans who said they knew something about the charges, 56% said Wright should step down unless completely cleared, while 40% said they wanted to reserve judgment. In this same group, there was a 57%-26% majority who believed Wright had acted unethically.

Of those Americans who said they knew little or nothing about the charges, only 44% said Wright should step down unless fully cleared, while 43% said they wanted to wait and see until the investigation is over. Of this group, only a 32%-24% plurality said they believed Wright had acted unethically.

“This suggests that the more people find out about him, the more problems he is going to have,” said I. A. Lewis, director of the Times poll.

Earlier this month, the House Ethics Committee took the unprecedented action of accusing the Speaker of 69 violations of House rules. The unanimous vote accused Wright of accepting nearly $145,000 in improper gifts from a Texas business associate. This involved a disputed salary paid to Wright’s wife, Betty, the use of a Ft. Worth condominium at a reduced rate and use and upkeep of a Cadillac for five years.

The committee also accused Wright of pushing sales of his 1984 book, “Reflections of a Public Man,” to groups in lieu of speaking fees, thus circumventing congressional limits on honorariums.

The Times poll found that Americans view some of the charges as more alarming than others. Twenty-five percent thought the sale of books was the most serious accusation, and 14% listed his wife’s disputed four-year $18,000 annual salary. The cut-rate housing was cited by only 5% and the car by a mere 2%.

Seventeen percent said that none of the charges were particularly serious, and 34% were not sure or declined to offer an opinion.

The next step in the House investigation is Wright’s defense of himself before the Ethics Committee. After that, the committee could drop the probe, take action on its own or, more seriously, refer the matter to the full House.

Most Americans, regardless of party affiliation, see more politics at work in the process than concern about ethics. Sixty-five percent said they thought that the congressmen who brought the charges are concerned less about the ethics of Wright and more about “playing politics.” Only 19% said they thought Wright’s accusers were motivated by standards of ethical behavior.

In general, the public seemed to have a low regard for congressional virtue despite the Ethics Committee’s bipartisan willingness to delve into matters of the top leader of the House.

The poll found that 36% of the public think that members of Congress violate House rules frequently by doing the very things Wright has been accused of. Another 39% said House members violate the rules fairly often, making a total of 75% who think other members of Congress operate outside the rules.

EVALUATING THE WRIGHT PROBE

Many Americans think Wright should step down.... Q. If Speaker Wright is not completely cleared of all the charges . . . do you think he should step down? Yes: 49% It depends: 41 No opinion: 10