Connally denies bribe allegation

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33819, 16 April 1975, Page 21

Connally denies bribe allegation

(N.Z P A.-Reuter—Copyright) WASHINGTON, April 15. The former United States Treasury Secretary, John Connally, went into the witness box at his trial for alleged bribery yesterday, to deny that he ever received $lO,OOO from a huge dairy co-operative in 1971.

Calm and confident, the former member of Mr Nixon’s Cabinet went into the box after 10 witnesses, including Lady Bird Johnson, the widow of President Johnson, Mr Robert McNamara, former President of the World Bank, and Dr Billy Graham, the evangelist, had spoken of his integrity and honesty. Lady Bird Johnson said that even those who disliked Connally thought he was honest. Earlier. Judge George Hart had rejected a defence sub-

mission that the jury should be directed to acquit Connally, a former Governor of Texas, on the grounds that the prosecution had brought the case under the wrong law, and was relying solely on the evidence of a single witness, a confessed perjurer, Jake Jacobsen. Jacobsen, a former dairy industry lobbyist, was the only one of 36 prosecution witnesses to testify that Connally acccepted SUSI 0.000 from Associated Milk Producers for urging Mr Nixon to order an increase in milk price supports. “Jacobsen is a paid informer for the prosecution who had a number of serious bank-fraud charges against him dismissed in return for his co-operation in this case,” defence counsel (Mr Edward Williams') said. He argued that Jacobsen had given evidence so tainted bv his earlier perjury, and by his plea bargain with the prosecutors, that no jury could believe his accusations beyond reasonable doubt. Connaiiy told the Court a dozen times that he never asked for money from Jacobsen, and was never given any bv him He said that he argued for a milk price increase at a meeting with Mr Nixon in 1971 “because I think everyone realised this time that "they could either change the milk price policy or they were going to be run over by Congress.” Connally said that in June, 1971, Jacobsen offered to provide SUSIO,OOO for his own use, but he turned it down. “I thanked him very much, and that ended the conversation,” said Connally. “He never mentioned it again.” Two of Connally’s secretaries and Mr George Christian, Mr Johnson’s press secretary, disputed the allegation by Jacobsen that Connaiiy gave him money in 1973 to make it appear that a bribe had never been paid.