NATION : Trial-Like Hearing on Book Deals Scheduled for Sen. Durenberger
The Senate Ethics Committee will hold trial-like public hearings in its investigation of Sen. Dave Durenberger (R-Minn.), it was announced today.
The committee said it voted Wednesday to order the public hearings and said two weeks of sessions will begin June 12.
The committee, which launched a preliminary inquiry in February, said there is evidence that Durenberger’s arrangement with Piranha Press Inc.--which paid him $100,000 in 1985 and 1986 for two books he wrote--violated limits on outside income and other regulations.
The committee also said that limousine service provided Durenberger in 1985 and 1986 during trips to Concord, Mass., may have violated Senate rules on conflict of interest.
The committee also said it was continuing its preliminary inquiry into allegations that Durenberger received reimbursement from the Senate for rent on a Minneapolis condominium.
It will be the first public hearing held by the committee since the case of Sen. Harrison Williams (D-N.J.), who was convicted in 1981 on charges stemming from the Abscam scandal. Williams resigned in 1982.
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