Sen. Torricelli Asks for Support During Probe

In a sign of the growing seriousness of his legal troubles, Sen. Robert Torricelli (D-N.J.) made a plea for support at a private session with Senate Democrats on Tuesday, describing a federal probe of gifts he allegedly received as a “very difficult moment” but not a threat to his career.

Torricelli spoke at a weekly meeting on Capitol Hill usually reserved for discussions of policy and strategy. The remarks followed recent revelations that federal prosecutors are focusing their probe on unreported gifts Torricelli may have received from a New Jersey businessman who last year pleaded guilty to making illegal campaign contributions to him.

“I told [the other senators] this was a very difficult moment in life to hear your integrity challenged after so many years of service,” Torricelli said after the meeting. “I told them that it is painful and difficult but that I have to believe in the process.”

Torricelli and others at the meeting said that, in a show of support, his comments were greeted with applause, but there was no further discussion of the matter.

Several senators said afterward that Torricelli’s fellow Democrats are solidly behind him.

“People are supportive,” said Sen. Jon Corzine, a New Jersey Democrat who was recruited by Torricelli to run for the Senate in 2000. “This whole issue is being based on [allegations from a witness] who is in plea negotiations.”

That witness is David Chang, a 57-year-old businessman who last year pleaded guilty to making $53,700 in improper donations to Torricelli’s 1996 Senate campaign.

Torricelli, who served 14 years in the House before winning the 1996 race, is known as an aggressive, at times abrasive, politician who has made enemies in both parties. But his fund-raising prowess and skillful management of the 2000 campaign committee that helped Democrats achieve near parity in the Senate earned accolades from party leaders.

Another reason Senate Democrats are inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt is the fragile 50-50 party split in the chamber. Asked whether he talked with his colleagues about the possibility of resigning, Torricelli replied, “There is not a reason the issue would ever be raised.”

For most of the three-year probe sparked by questions about the financing of his 1996 campaign, federal authorities appeared focused on relatively minor allegations. But recently, investigators for the first time set their sights squarely on Torricelli, searching his home for the alleged gifts from Chang.

Chang, who is cooperating with investigators, has reportedly claimed to have given Torricelli tens of thousands of dollars in cash, as well as gifts that include Italian-made suits, a 52-inch television and a Rolex watch.

Chang, one of six donors to Torricelli’s Senate campaign to plead guilty to improper contributions, had sought assistance from him on business deals, including an unsuccessful effort two years ago by Chang to acquire a South Korean insurance company.

Torricelli has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, and in a news conference last week he pounded his fist on a lectern while professing his innocence. But he has not directly refuted the charges that he received the gifts.

When asked about the items Tuesday, Torricelli offered a carefully constructed reply, saying, “There are not and were not illegal gifts.”

Lawmakers are required to report all gifts exceeding $100. The only gift Torricelli has reported receiving from Chang was a $5,000 donation to a legal defense fund created for an unrelated case.

Federal law and congressional ethics rules prohibit lawmakers from accepting gifts worth $50 or more, with a $100 annual limit from any one source. An exception is made for gifts from friends. Torricelli has said that he once considered Chang a friend, but on Tuesday the senator continued to attack Chang’s credibility.

“It is unbelievable to me that someone awaiting federal sentencing with an extensive record of perjury would make claims about me and those claims would be taken seriously,” Torricelli said.