Dole Charges Denied in Weinberger Prosecution

Independent counsel Lawrence E. Walsh on Tuesday sharply rejected a suggestion from Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.), that he fire the prosecutor recently hired to handle the Iran-Contra case against former Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger.

Walsh rejected the charge Dole leveled earlier this week that the credibility of the prosecutor--San Francisco trial attorney James Brosnahan--had been compromised because Brosnahan contributed $500 to President-elect Bill Clinton during the primaries.

In a letter to Dole, Walsh, a longtime Republican, said “no one has been questioned as to his political preference in connection with his employment.”

“It also does not surprise me that he made a $500 contribution to a candidate in his party’s primary any more than the fact that before I assumed this office I also made contributions to candidates in my party,” said Walsh, who noted that Brosnahan’s contribution had taken place before the attorney joined his staff.

While saying he has long respected Dole, Walsh added, “I can recall no case where a Senate leader has so directly intruded himself in a pending lawsuit.”

Walsh, whose investigation of the Iran-Contra scandal has come under criticism from Republicans, also denied a Dole charge that his office gave notice to the Clinton-Gore campaign that a new indictment against Weinberger would be filed on Oct. 30.

The revised indictment quoted a note written by Weinberger that contradicted statements by President Bush about his own knowledge of the arms-for-hostages dealings with Iran.