Senators Pressure Helms to Act on Weld

A majority of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee agreed Friday to sign a petition intended to force Chairman Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) to hold a meeting to consider whether there will be a hearing on the nomination of former Massachusetts Gov. William F. Weld to be ambassador to Mexico.

Republican Sens. Richard G. Lugar of Indiana and Gordon Smith of Oregon joined all eight Democrats on the 18-member panel in a parliamentary maneuver intended to overcome Helms’ determined opposition to President Clinton’s selection of the moderate Republican for one of the nation’s most sensitive diplomatic posts.

Under Senate rules, Helms has three days to respond to the petition, which he probably will receive Monday. He must either call a meeting before Sept. 13, or stand aside and allow the committee majority to convene a meeting without his approval.

But the wily chairman retains potent parliamentary powers that he can use to continue to block the Weld nomination even if he agrees to hold the meeting. One Republican staff member said: “Sen. Helms will continue to control the agenda and the gavel. Sen. Helms will not allow the nomination to reach the floor.”

Helms has said that he does not believe Weld, who supports medical uses of marijuana, would be tough enough on illegal drugs to hold the ambassadorial post in a nation that is a major transshipment point for U.S.-bound narcotics. But Weld and his supporters insist that Helms, a staunch conservative, is opposed to the former governor because he represents the moderate wing of the GOP.

Marc Thiessen, Helms’ spokesman, accused Weld of “hypocrisy” for trying to bludgeon Helms into holding a hearing. He said Weld is waging ideological warfare against Republican conservatives.

Although a majority of the committee is now ready to give Weld a hearing, there is no certainty that his nomination will be approved. At least three of the petition signers--Lugar, Smith and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)--refuse to say how they will vote on the nomination itself. The three say only that Weld deserves a hearing.

Meanwhile, four senior Republicans on the committee wrote to Clinton urging him to withdraw the Helms nomination “and work with us to find a candidate who can be quickly confirmed in this critical post.”

Sens. Paul Coverdell of Georgia,, Craig Thomas of Wyoming, Charles Hagel of Nebraska and Rod Grams of Minnesota joined Helms in a solid bloc of opponents to the nomination. Three other Republican members have not signed either the petition calling for a meeting or the letter demanding withdrawal of the nomination.

The White House said Weld, who resigned the governorship to campaign full time for the ambassador’s job, plans a high-profile challenge to Helms, starting with an appearance Sunday on the ABC-TV program “This Week.” White House spokesman Mike McCurry said, “Having tried a quiet, behind-the-scenes approach, our conclusion is that turning up the heat may work.”