◆ SpookStack

SO) TER YN LL 8, lt 6 SA SNR 8 TREE F wieinaieetians antieeditaken Se 4 ‘ ONS III LU Oe NTRS ore Sea ee REE RL ed Tr RAR tame eter RS aaa aR RI, pate PA a ta ln NE feeds ma a at , - mt gS Pa 4. ary Shrca! & The New Yort Tines WASEINGTON, Merch'4 — As the S.oste decides whether i expe! Senator jae TIN A. Williams Jr., & second issue ; hows through the debate: the conduct of the F.B.1. in organizing its Abscam igperation. i Accordingly, the Senate . Dow seems Hbely toadupta! News proposal, eponssred | by | Asclyris Serators Alen Cranston, Democrat of Califorca, , 895 Ted Stevens, Republi. ‘can ct Aiscke, They want to establish an linvest'gation of F.B.I. methods and i reccmmend “what protections mey be ' pelessary to preserve the indenendence | ‘and integrity of Congress,” as Senator _Crenstos pan it. Some lowmakers sa _ the case could Jead Congress to enact a _chertes for the bureau. ts . "The Willams cese {s secondary to ithe more {mportant Constitutional | Issue," esserted Senator Orrin G. | Batch, Republican of Utah and chair- j man of the Constitution subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee. “Can the executive branch, over 4 prolonged peri- Keep RBI, Conduct i | By STEVEN ¥. ROBERTS |v cxrviciee on nine felony Ttwirg out of the investigation. The erate Ethics Commities kes reco. meade’ bis expulsion, and tbs Sece‘e is éebsting that motion. . Senator Willies and his allies ere trying to put the F.B.J. on trial in the Sate, and use the outrage érainst the bureau to bolster his case. At a news conference today, Mr. Williams emphs.- sized the allesation that “for the first time, De separation ef powers of the ng- fiona] Government has been brokes in - Inocye Jotvs Attack or PLB, - Last aight Senztor Daniel K. Ir-vuye, the Ezweli Democrat who is Geferting Mr. Wildzms on the fiour, also ettaclad the bureau’s conduct in the case, “Even with the finest organizations, there are cases thal po awry,” be said, “Th: Army had its My Laf; the White House had its Watergate, and the F.B.1. hecits Abscam,” . Senator Inouye told his colleegues that each one of them was egotistical and self-important, and vulnerable to the kind of enticements used in the Wil- od, continue to entice an otherwise hos-| Ilams case est person, wot] his honesty bresks down?” Charges Against Wiliams Senator Dennis DeConcint of Arizona, the Democrat on the subcom- mittee, added: ‘‘Whatever happens to Pete Williams, all of this will very likely force the need for a charter and over- sight of the F.B.I. It’s lang overdue ~ oe too . Senator Williams, a New Jersey Democrat, was charged with accepting “What will also be shown,” the Hawaiian seid, ‘is that there is a will- ingness to deliberately set up com- pietely innocent and hosorable people. So I say that J think it could happen to anyoneofus.”” . Sees ‘TFeinting’ From Expulsion If Mr. Williems js ed, Mr. Inouye asserted, the “Senate itself will be tainted” by appearing to ratify the “highly questionable and perhaps ille. gal activities of the F.B.I. agents and a hidden interest in a titanium mine, in! their con man assistant.” exchange for using his influence to ob- tain contracts for the mine. The whole Geal was set up by the F.B.J. as part of| its Abscarm operation, and Mr. Williams! Senate Jeaders have insisted, how- ever, that the examination of the F.B.I. should be separated from the Williams case, and most lawmakers seem to be cherpes aay: thet advice. In short, the 8 ? Mind e oé ee ssying that the bait might have be Genr ed is front of Mr. Wilisms ir ep uifcromete way, but we are only judg. ing his ethical reection to the bait, not how it got there. But when the Williams case is over, the Senste scame determined ts expiare the questions reised by the F.B.1.’s ac- Hons. And the first issue ts whether any besic, individual rights were violated by the operation. -. ° As Senstor George J. Mitchell, & Maine Democrat and former Federal Judge phrused it, *‘Where fs the Hine be- tween the appretreasion of a crimirial aod the fostering of crimiral activity for the purpose of conviction?’ ~s: Weteh Calis Cassa Landmark, -* Senator Hatch noted that the Willams case Was being eppezled, end expre the hope that the conviction would pe overturned on the cne-process a 4 criminallaw,’hesaid, - . The second issue is whether the F.B-f violated the rights of the Senate, andthe separation of powers, by focusing’ #§ operation on members of .tat, "J think the separation o: Ts enormously {mportant,” said Senafor Arlen § T, a Pennsylvania Repubit- can former District Attorney. *'Te have any possibility of a chilling effect on the independence of the Senate is-d>- solutely appalling." : Mr. Specter telephones for wiretaps, - — “Our role is supervisory over the whole government, including the F.B.I.,” Senator Specter said. “If we Jon’t have our independence, we dons wave anything.” The Washington Post Daily News (New York) ___ ea, DY Ber. Serrte ee Cem baw, Veer. nen teop. — ince Leb. Lego’ Con. OH. Come. Peotic aba, Kec Mont. Tech. Servs. Tieining Teteptone Rm. Director's Soc’y The New York Times _ 2 The Wal! Street Journal The Chicago Tribune The Los Angeles Times _ The Christian Science Monitor Date 3-5-22