NATION : Thornburgh Subpoena Quashed
A judge today rejected defense efforts to subpoena Atty. Gen. Dick Thornburgh to testify in the Wedtech bribery trial about a report lambasting his predecessor Edwin Meese III’s unethical conduct.
The ruling came as Meese wrapped up his testimony at the racketeering trial of E. Robert Wallach, Wedtech’s lawyer, in U.S. District Court. Meese’s one-time lawyer and friend is accused with two others of taking $2 million in Wedtech stock payoffs and using his influence with Meese to get lucrative defense contracts for Wedtech.
Wallach’s lawyers urged U.S. District Judge Richard Owen to allow them to subpoena Thornburgh, promising he would testify that he refused to adopt an internal report by the Office of Professional Responsibility that accused Meese of violating government ethical standards. Owen quashed the subpoena, however, saying Thornburgh’s testimony would be “irrelevant.”
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