Conference back40::soapbox

312.0. "Watt indicted on 25 counts of perjury" by SX4GTO::OLSON (Doug Olson, ISVETS Palo Alto) Thu Feb 23 1995 13:59

    James Watt is accused of lying to Congress and a grand jury.

    Former Reagan official James Watt accused of perjury as lobbyist

    By Ronald J. Ostrow 
    Los Angeles Times

    WASHINGTON -- Former Interior Secretary James Watt was indicted
    Wednesday on federal charges of perjury, obstruction of justice and
    hiding subpoenaed documents related to his work as a consultant for
    private developers after leaving the Reagan Cabinet.

    The 25-count indictment accused Watt of lying to a federal grand jury
    and Congress about lobbying former Housing and Urban Development
    Secretary Samuel Pierce and other HUD officials to help clients obtain
    low- income-housing funds. He also is charged with withholding for more
    than four years documents that contradicted his testimony.

    Arlin Adams, the independent counsel investigating the Reagan-era HUD
    scandal, said the investigation of Watt already is enabling HUD to
    recover nearly $10 million for a Virgin Islands project the indictment
    alleged was funded at Watt's request but never actually used to create
    low-income housing.

    ``The indictment makes plain that the public trust was betrayed
    twice,'' said Adams, a former federal judge. ``First, by the award of
    scarce HUD housing funds during the 1980s according to the dictates of
    favored insiders, rather than the needs of the poor; and second, by a
    coverup of those facts that has now extended for over four years.''

    Watt, who had declined to discuss the investigation in recent weeks,
    denied in a written statement distributed by his attorney, William
    Bradford Reynolds, that he had lied to the grand jury or Congress or
    obstructed justice.

    Contending that Adams and his lawyers ``have exercised unchecked and
    unlimited powers during their five-year investigation,'' Watt said the
    prosecutors repeatedly ``asked me to lie by pleading guilty to things I
    never did. As much as I wanted to avoid this humiliating and costly
    experience, I would not lie.''

    Watt, who now lives in Jackson Hole, Wyo., could theoretically be
    sentenced to a maximum of 125 years in prison if convicted on all 25
    counts and fined $250,000 for each offense. But under the U.S
    sentencing guidelines, maximum punishment would be well below that.

    He resigned his Cabinet post in 1983 after controversy over his
    statement characterizing members of an advisory panel as ``a black . .
    . a woman, two Jews and a cripple.''

    The grand jury indictment noted that after leaving the Reagan
    administration, ``and despite his lack of any prior HUD experience,''
    Watt ``was paid more than $500,000, and was promised additional sums,
    for successfully approaching HUD Secretary Pierce and other
    high-ranking HUD officials during 1984 to 1986 to obtain HUD funding
    and benefits for private landlords and developers.''

    The 59-page indictment was based in part on Watt's 1989 testimony
    before the House Employment and Housing subcommittee and Watt's 1990
    testimony before the Adams-led grand jury probing HUD.

    One perjury count, for example, cited Watt's testimony that he received
    $20,000 for assisting with the funding on a New Jersey housing project
    and $100,000 on a Puerto Rico project.

    ``That's what they offered, and it sounded like a lot of money to me,
    and we settled on it,'' Watt told the subcommittee.

    But Watt knew those statements were false, the indictment charged,
    because Joseph Strauss, a former special assistant to Pierce at HUD who
    headed a company that sought HUD funding for developers and landlords,
    had promised to pay Watt $200,000 if the Puerto Rico project was
    funded. Moreover, Watt, shortly before testifying, had submitted a
    $200,000 bill of which $100,000 remained to be paid, the grand jury
    said.

    On the allegations that Watt perjured himself before the grand jury,
    the indictment cited his testimony that he had no records of phone
    conversations he held with Strauss about his congressional appearance.

    Actually, the indictment said, Watt had failed to hand over to the
    grand jury telephone logs and other records of his conversations with
    Strauss and computer disks he had that included ``materially different
    versions'' of his statement to Congress.

Published 2/23/95 in the San Jose Mercury News.

    I hope he gets convicted (if he did it). I never liked him.

    He's another 2 watt light bulb.

    I hope one of the BEACH BOYS is one the Jury....
    
    
    Put the BUTTHEAD to sleep...!
    
    
    Sin-te-de

    Watt did you say?

    
    RE: .0
    
     DougO....
    
     You forgot to enter the other lead story of the DEM who also got
    indicted...
    
     But why quibble about technicalities...
    

    I post what I find interesting.  Feel free to make your own
    contributions.
    
    DougO

    Watt do you mean WATT??
    
    Watt I said was Watt is an idiot and should be put to sleep!!
    
    Can you hear me?
    
    Sin-te-da

    > I post what I find interesting.
    
     Attacking your political foes while turning a blind eye to the
    misdeeds of your allies is, um, "interesting."

    
    Well, yes.  HUD is a cesspool, has been for years.  If Watt cashed in,
    and got caught, he should pay.
    
    Similarly with all these defeated House Democrats (the latest is the
    former congresswoman from Ohio) being indicted, they will get no
    sympathy.  Jail time, the crooks.
    
    Public trust.  Abuse it, pay.  Even your political allies will vote
    guilty.  And if you're wondering why downsizing the federales is so
    popular, make a list of Washington scandals the last 20 years.  It's
    a Who's Who of both parties.
    
      bb

    >> I post what I find interesting.
    >
    >    Attacking your political foes while turning a blind eye to the
    >    misdeeds of your allies is, um, "interesting." -< but trite >-
    
    Neglecting to discuss them here is not 'turning a blind eye', Doctor.
    One hardly needs to throw bait to the snappers in here.  Post their
    "misdeeds" yourself.  Seldom will I be unaware of them, you may be
    sure.
    
    DougO

    Let's just say that one's claims of nonpartisanism are called into
    question when one consistently focuses only on one party's misdeeds
    while neglecting to mention the misdeeds of the other.

Former Republican Congresscritter Donald "Buzz" Lukens, convicted statutory
rapist and alleged elevator operator fondler, was arrested on bribery charges.

    also from ohio miiiiiiiiiiiiizzzzzzzzzzzzzz mary rose okar, house banking
    problems...awwwwwwwww
    
    tough luck

    What's the problem with all these Ohioans?
    
    Bob

    
    re: .13
    
    welcome back dick!  
    
    bill

    >Let's just say that one's claims of nonpartisanism are called into
    >question when one consistently focuses only on one party's misdeeds
    >while neglecting to mention the misdeeds of the other.
    
    I suppose a discussion of the latest complaint to the House Ethics
    Committee regarding Newt's free television exposure is out of the
    question, then?  Forget I mentioned it.  Funny, you hadn't mentioned 
    it either!  Oh, you're not nonpartisan either?  Funny, you hadn't
    mentioned THAT.
    
    Quit pretending we don't all have axes to grind, Mark.  You should
    certainly understand one thing about my politics: 'partisan' implies
    that I support the democrats.  You should be well aware of the high
    levels of contempt I feel for almost all professional politicians.
    Right now, the GOP happen to be more offensive, and there's far more
    reward to stirring up their partisans.  But I wallop Democrats whenever
    I feel like it.
    
    DougO

    No big deal. What's the latest on the Whitewater footdragging?
    President Clinton might want to contact PRM's very own Teddy K. for how
    to pull off a good coverup. Just say, "Hey! I forgot! Okay?"