◆ SpookStack

ee eae RC EE ESTEE es we ee - a) naan . er WASHINGTON — There are many weasely ways to slink away from a perpetuation like ABSCAM, but the FBI has taken none of them. Its stub-. born chief, William Webster, has of- fered no apologies, no excuses, no regrets over the FBI's undercover tac- ics. ; On the contrary, he strode into a House hearing room, head high, with the aplomb of a man who moves _ familiarly in a world of marble floors, lofty ceilings and cut-glass chandeliers. ABSCAM, he _ insisted, had been carefully planned, meticulously executed and _ strictly controlled. . The truth is that ABSCAM was slop- py. sleazy and largely out of control from start to finish. My associates Jack Mitchell and Indy Badhwar have reviewed the sworn testimony and picked out the FBI’s misstatements. Some examples: os ; FICTION — The FBI relied on the likes of convicted swindler Mel Weinberg and bagman Joseph Silvestri to recruit politicians who might take bribes. Webster swore that the judgments of Weinberg were carefully evaluated at high levels before approval was given to go after the unsuspecting politicians. FACT — Undercover meetings with public officials were often set up and secretly videotaped, without the Justice Department’s approval. Not - until four to six weeks afterward, -would a proper authority usually see Hasscam secution proposals. On one occasion, Webster authorized a last-minute substitution of victims. Silvestri wanted to bring Sen. Larry Pressler, R-S.D., to a clandestine meeting and offer his a $30,000 bribe that had been approved earlier for Rep. William J. Hughes, D-N.J. Neither legislator succumbed to the FBI's siren song. FICTION — The ABSCAM_ in- vestigators would not pursue members of Congress, the FBI insisted, until after: ‘‘reasonable suspicion”: of wrongdoing was established. FACT — The ABSCAM agents con- stantly misled the prosecutors by giv- ing false information to justify their investigations. For example, the in- vestigators claimed that Sen. Harrison Williams, D-N.J., had already taken a $100,000 bribe before he was targeted for ABSCAM. This was a deliberate FBI lie to allay the prosecutors’ con- cern over the ‘reasonable suspicion” - requirement. — FICTION — tivities were closely monitored, swore the FBI. Accurate transcripts sup- | posedly were kept of the informants’ conversations to make sure they didn't -. . con the FBI or otherwise deceive. . FACT — Great numbers of such con- - versations were never recorded. The transcripts that were delivered to the Justice Department often were out of sequence and as much as 18 months late. Weinberg and his FBI supervisor, Tony Amoroso, were especially reluc- tant to tape their conversations. In several instances, transcripts were falsified. FICTION — The FBI assured Con- gress that undercover informants "were carefully screened to ensure. their reliability. They were allegedly then given thorough instruction in such legal areas as entrapment and were kept under regular surveillance to make sure they didn’t get out of ine. oo, FACT — Government officials ad- mitted under oath that neither chief prosecutor Thomas Puccio nor Weinberg’s FBI handlers knew what the convicted swindler was doing or even where he was at times. The top ‘ mr facts, fictions the taped scenes and receive the pro- The undercover ac- NO wr re Pl 4 2. a res - Justice Department official directly in charge of ABSCAM was neither brief- ed about Weinberg’s shady background nor shown a copy of his voluminous criminal record. Mean- while, the guileful Weinberg easily manipulated his FBI watchdogs; they had little controloverhim. FICTION — The FBI claimed its “safeguard policies” assured that ABSCAM targets were fully aware of the criminal nature of the undertak- ings they were invited to join. No one’ was to be brought to an undercover meeting unless he was prepared, in Webster’s words, to “make up-front promises that would violate their lega! trust.”: ; - : FACT.— The FBI's own videotape and transcripts reveal that Weinber was assuring congressmen the, wouldn't actually have to perform th acts they were supposedly takin, money for doing. In some cases, it was evident that the targets had no idea what the undercover meeting was all about. In other cases, the victims clearly were seeking legitimate finan- cing. Then, as a precondition to the’ loans, they were told to bring in some politicians. =. . Ce FICTION — The bureau was always careful to protect innocent third par- ties and would usually shut down an operation if such persons were threatened with irreparable financial harm. 0 FACT — Several respectable businessmen were ruined when an FBI con man roped them into a crooked scam for his own profit. The FBI Jearned of the swindle but lied to the . - victims to keep the ABSCAM “‘cover"” from being blown.” | - ; FICTION — Any respectable con- gressman should have detected im- mediately that the ABSCAM stingmen were engaged in shady doings, the FBI contends. Se FACT — The FBI went to elaborate lengths to create a legitimate front for ABSCAM. A phony bank account was even established at the prestigious Chase Manhattan Bank, which assured inquirers that the FBI’s phony sheik was worth millions. . United Feature Syndicate, Inc. ee ram tea, eee mee te