![]() ![]() , " Burns, a partner in a New York law firm before joining the administration in 1985, wrote Reagan. "I can say with conviction that the time spent serving you and the Department of Justice has been one of the highlights of my life. yesterday and advised Meese of the decision at an 8 a.m. The source said Baker refused to inform the president of the resignation plans until they told Meese.īurns and Weld delivered their letters of resignation to Baker at his home at 7 a.m. The source said Baker asked the two officials to think the matter over and that they called the White House yesterday and informed White House counsel Arthur B. "I thought we were headed toward a conclusion of this thing," Lewin said of the McKay investigation.Īn administration source said Burns and Weld had informed Baker a week ago that they were unhappy serving under Meese, who has been under investigation by McKay since May. ![]() Meese's lawyer, Nathan Lewin, said he knew of no new information and that "to my understanding there's no intersection" between the investigation and the resignations. Solicitor General Charles Fried, who is the department's fourth-ranking official, said yesterday he had "not digested should have been the straw that broke the camel's back," the source said. Informed sources said at least one other high-ranking department official is considering resigning. ![]() Justice Department sources said Meese was shocked by the resignations, which White House officials had known were in the works for at least a week but which Meese learned about yesterday morning and announced at the daily 8:30 a.m. At a meeting with his top staff yesterday, Weld said he thought public comment would be improper but that he believed Meese's continued service as attorney general is harming the Justice Department, according to a source present at the meeting. One well-placed official described the move as a "conscience resignation on both their parts," adding that the continuing investigations of Meese's conduct "finally got to the point where they didn't feel like in good conscience they could continue to work for him."īurns and Weld "don't want to be tainted by what's going on here," said another senior official. Bob Wallach involving the Wedtech Corp., an abortive Iraqi pipeline project deal and other matters were poisoning Meese's leadership of the department and that the allegations are more serious than the attorney general had acknowledged. Sources said Burns, who will leave next month, and Weld told Meese yesterday that they feel the reports about his relationship with E. Keeney, a career prosecutor, was named acting assistant attorney general. ![]() Weld's resignation took effect at the close of business yesterday. Weld and four of their top aides said they were quitting. Burns, Assistant Attorney General William F. The Justice Department's second-ranking official and the head of its criminal division abruptly announced their resignations yesterday, prompted by what Reagan administration sources described as mounting frustration with the functioning of the department amid the continuing legal difficulties of Attorney General Edwin Meese III.ĭeputy Attorney General Arnold I. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |