Hasty Exit

Williams forgoes a vote

He was unrepentant to the end. "I know I broke no laws," said Senator Harrison Williams before all 99 of his colleagues. He had been victimized by the FBI, "ruthless con men bearing hunting licenses," said the New Jersey Democrat. He quoted the Lord's Prayer ("Lead us not into temptation") and volunteered that "God Almighty had something to do with all of this." And then he resigned. "I leave in good spirits, good heart and strong resolve. I feel no stain. I've been strengthened."

Despite his insistence that he had been framed, Williams, 62, surely would have been expelled if the matter had come to a vote. The Senate Ethics Committee had unanimously recommended expulsion. Williams stood convicted of nine felony counts of bribery and influence peddling in a scheme involving an FBI agent posing as an Arab sheik and faced up to three years in prison. Most damning both in court and in the Senate were FBI videotapes that showed him promising to use his office to further a business venture in which he had a hidden interest. He met with the phony sheik not once but seven times. This repeated flouting of propriety made a devastating impression on the Senators who viewed the tapes in recent weeks. Said one irritated Democrat: "To convince Senators that what they saw was not what they saw was just impossible. Williams should not have pretended he was innocent."

Williams offered a maundering six-hour defense last week that stupefied even his defenders. Impatient to bring the painful proceedings to an end, some Senators slept in their chairs and others strolled about the chamber chatting.

When Williams finished, they began rising one by one to urge his expulsion. The decisive blow was struck by Thomas Eagleton of Missouri, a fellow Democrat and longtime Williams friend. Said he: "Senator Williams has not had the good grace to withdraw from this body. We should not perpetuate our own disgrace by asking him to stay." California Democrat Alan Cranston offered a last-ditch substitute resolution merely to censure Williams on the grounds that the FBI had improperly entrapped him, but the motion garnered little support and was never brought to a vote.

Williams resigned after Cranston and others unofficially assured him that the Senate would pursue an investigation into the FBI's methods in the Abscam operation, which also netted six Congressmen. In fact, by week's end sentiment on Capitol Hill was running harder against the bureau than it was against Williams. Many Senators were appalled by the climate of corruption created by the FBI to ensnare public officials. Says Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd: "I'd like to catch the s.o.b. who thought Abscam up. He should be hung by his heels."

After Williams' farewell speech, colleagues gathered around to shake his hand and pat his back. Such good will is customary after the Senate disciplines one of its own, but this time the gestures were heartfelt. "Pete" Williams, after all, was a hard-working member of the Senate for 23 years. Said Majority Leader Howard Baker: "Pete, we wish you well." As Williams said his goodbyes, New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean, a Republican, was preparing to choose an interim successor to serve until Williams' term expires next January. The front runners, all Republicans: U.S. Representatives Millicent Fenwick and James Courier, and former Reagan Adviser Jeff Bell, who lost to Bill Bradley in the 1978 Senate race.

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