Billy’s evidence fails to satisfy

Press, 25 August 1980, Page 7

Billy’s evidence fails to satisfy

NZPA Washington Despite two days of unflappable testimony by Billy Carter on his dealings with Libya, several investigating senators say they are not satisfied.

President Jimmy Carter’s brother told a Senate investigating sub-committee last week that his relations with Libya did not hurt the President or the country, just Billy Carter. He testified he got $220,000 in loans directly from the Libyan Government and recounted his unsuccessful wheeling and dealing to become a Libyan oil broker. But he told the panel Libya exercised no influence on American policy in return. He sw’ore under oath that the Libyans did not ask him to ask President Carter for anything, he did not ask his brother for anything, and the President would not have done anything if he had, he said.

Unimpressed, some of the senators publicly castigated him for getting involved with Libya at all and several said they are not satisfied they have the full story yet on his Libyan ties. The Republican Senator Robert Dole issued a statement at the week-end saying, “The deeper we get, the more we turn up.” Senator Dole said the Senate investigation has yet to determine

whether Billy was Involved “in any other Libyan deals such as Cl3os, military trucks, or other arms.” Senator Strom Thurmond, another Republican, told President Carter’s brother during the hearings he was “sceptical” of Billy’s denial that he had been a Libyan foreign agent. Senator Birch Bayh. a Democrat who is chairman of the Senate panel, told a news conference that the sub-committee would make a preliminary report of their findings by October 4. During the hearings last week, Senator Richard Lugar, an Indiana Republican, expressed astonishment at Mr Carter’s claims that he was unaware of Libya’s alleged terrorist activities.

He said that the Government of Colonel Muammar Gadaffi was dedicated to undermining United States policy, including the Camp David accords between Israel and Egypt “How could you in good conscience have continued with that Government?” he asked, calling Mr Carter’s! actions astounding. He asked whether Mr Carter “just remained oblivious” to Libya’s policies, which he said included subverting ef-

forts to release the American hostages held in Iran.