Carey Blames Aides in Testimony

Publicly testifying under oath for the first time since the start of the campaign finance scandal that has rocked the nation’s largest trade union, Teamsters President Ron Carey denied any wrongdoing, portraying himself as a leader who trusted those around him and is now paying the price. Testifying before a three-member Independent Review Board, which is considering his ouster from the union, Carey said he was a “bottom-line” kind of guy who spent much of his time out on the road and didn’t want to be bothered with a lot of bureaucratic details. “I viewed my job as not just sitting in my office. That’s a waste,” he said. “I reserve for myself the high-priority areas.” Carey, who will resume his testimony under cross-examination today, described how he had spent his entire professional life in the Teamsters, working his way up from shop steward to international president. He told how he had rid the union of “the luxury and all the perks” enjoyed by past leaders so that he could serve union members. Carey and William Hamilton, the union’s former director of government affairs, are on trial before the review board, which has accused them of embezzling money from the union’s general treasury to help finance Carey’s reelection campaign. In more than 300 cases, the review board has never exonerated anyone facing its censure. Carey narrowly defeated James P. Hoffa in the 1996 election, but the election results have been thrown out and Carey has been disqualified from running for office again because of the financing allegations. Carey has previously testified under oath in depositions before other government offices investigating the Teamsters.