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an SR ET TES I SRE AT EE IS EE EE 1 . in a securities fraud or antitrust case than a hearing to determine whether the government had violated the "due process" rights of defendants in a criminal prosecution. i In most instances, even when the court had doubts about the suitability of a line of questioning or whether a docu- ment should be produced, decision was resolved: in favor of the defendants. . There were substantial reasons for such liberality to defendants, unprecedented in this court's experience.. | In the first place, from the very beginning it was apparent that these were significant cases to the defendants, to the FBI, to the justice department, to the public, and perhaps even to the very structure of our governmental system. Large sums of money had been spent im the Abscam investigation. High-ranking members of Congress had been indicted. The integrity of both the FBI and the justice department had been vigorously challenged. A novel investiga- i i tive technique had been employed against members of Congress and others: without prior specific suspicions. - And the - entire matter had been given extensive national coverage in the news media, reflecting not only the importance of the criminal actions, but fundamental political and consti- tutional issues in which many segments of the population had an interest. 1 sear me