Solarz Says He’s Cleared in House Bank Case
Former Rep. Stephen Solarz, who came in for heavy criticism in the House bank check-writing scandal, said Monday the Justice Department has cleared him of wrongdoing in the matter.
“I wish it had been concluded considerably sooner, but better late than never,” the New York Democrat said.
He said it was “not particularly pleasant having aspersions cast or clouds hanging over one’s head when one hasn’t done anything wrong.”
The Justice Department said it would neither confirm nor deny that it has sent letters of exoneration to any specific lawmakers.
Solarz, once a prominent voice on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is currently a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
His political fortunes plunged last year when his House district was dismantled in a congressional remap as New York and other Northern states surrendered seats to the Sun Belt.
Solarz made a game effort to hang on in an overwhelmingly Latino district but was defeated.
In March, 1992, the Ethics Committee cited Solarz as one of the 22 worst abusers in the check-writing scandal that rocked Capitol Hill and forced the closing of the House bank. He overdrew 743 checks on the bank in a 39-month period.
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