House Speaker quits over ethics charges

Press, 2 June 1989, Page 6

House Speaker quits over ethics charges

NZPA-Reuter Washington In a farewell speech laced with tears, pride and pleas for political peace, the House of Representatives Speaker, Jim Wright, announced yesterday that he would resign over ethics charges, ending a 34-year House career as the first Speaker forced out of office. .

chosen next Tuesday. He said that by the end of June he would resign the House seat he has held since 1955. President George Bush, in London on a diplomatic trip, issued a statement expressing sympathy for Mr Wright and calling him a fellow Texan and an old friend. With his wife Betty looking on from the packed public galleries of the House, Mr Wright made a point-by-point rebuttal of the charges brought against him after a 10-month investigation by the House ethics committee. The two main charges are that he used bulk sales of his book, "Reflections of a Public Man,” to evade limits on speaking fees, and that he improperly accepted gifts worth $U5145,000 ($NZ248,000) from a businessman friend, George Mallick. Mr Wright urged that his decision to quit should be used as an occasion to end an era of ill-will

Decrying what he called “this period of mindless cannibalism” in scandal-plagued Washington politics, Mr Wright, aged 66, defended himself against charges that he had violated ethics rules on outside income but also conceded, in an hour-long address to rapt House colleagues, that he had had enough. “Let that (the resignation) be a total payment for the anger and hostility that we feel toward one another,” the Texan said, head bowed and voice low. Congressman Newt Gingrich, the Republican who initiated the allegations against Mr Wright, said investigations of nine or 10 other Democrats were coming. Mr Gingrich himself is being investigated over a book deal. Mr Wright’s resignation will become effective when his successor — considered certain to be the current Democratic House majority leader, Tom Foley — is

wrong-doing. “All of us in both political parties... must resolve to bring this period of mindless cannibalism to an end,” he said. That line drew a standing ovation from both Democrats and Republicans. Mr Wright received a long round of applause when he finished and walked off the House floor alone. His departure came on the day newspapers were reporting a preliminary Justice Department investigation of alleged payroll padding on the staff of Congressman William Gray, the fourthranking Democrat in the House. Mr Gray denies any wrong-doing. Over the week-end the thirdranking House Democrat, Tony Coelho, announced he would quit Congress rather than face an ethics investigation of a SUSIOO,OOO (SNZ171.000) junkbond purchase.

in which members of Congress have accused each other of