Cleaning House

Two more Congressmen are accused of taking payoffs

The action of the House ethics committee was unusually swift, especially for that panel. By a unanimous vote, after a persuasive presentation by its staff, the committee last week charged Pennsylvania Democrat Joshua Eilberg of illegally pocketing $100,000 in legal fees in connection with his efforts to get a $ 14.5 million federal grant for Philadelphia's Hahnemann Hospital.

What Eilberg allegedly did was a direct violation of the law and of House rules: accepting outside money for legislative duties. And the evidence, says a committee source, "was right there on the table." The charges are serious enough that if they are proved at a hearing that could begin next month, Eilberg could be ousted from Congress.

Eilberg, who denies the charges, was the Congressman who called President Carter ten months ago and successfully expedited the removal of David Marston as U.S. Attorney in Philadelphia. Marston was conducting an investigation into the same charges. That probe is continuing, in close cooperation with the ethics committee, and a Justice Department official said an indictment could come "in a matter of weeks." Eilberg's Pennsylvania colleague in the House, Daniel Flood, who was indicted earlier this month on perjury charges in another case, is also being investigated for his activities on behalf of the hospital.

The committee was far less energetic in opening hearings on California Democrat Edward Roybal, one of four Congressmen accused of taking illegal payments from Korean Rice Dealer Tongsun Park. Roybal has given the committee two highly damaging sworn depositions about the matter. In one he denied ever receiving money from Park. When that proved false, he said in the second statement that he turned the $1,000 over to his campaign director for election expenses. Roybal actually pocketed the cash, investigators claim. If so, he too could be expelled from the House on the recommendation of the ethics committee. If such action is not taken, says one investigator, "Congress is saying it's O.K. for witnesses to lie under oath." qed

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.