Fawn Hall, the former secretary for Lt. Col. Oliver North who admitted under oath that she shredded government documents, said Thursday the U.S. Congress should keep its nose out of foreign policy so President Ronald Reagan can combat Communism in the Western Hemisphere.
"The Congress has been interfering with foreign policy a lot," she told a crowd of about 1,500 students at Weber State College.Hall's appearance on campus brought some controversy when the Associated Students agreed to pay her $4,000 for giving roughly a 40-minute speech.
Hall was the secretary to North when the story broke that North was allegedly involved in selling arms to Iran in an attempt to free the U.S. hostages held there. The money from the arms sale was then allegedly diverted to help fund the Contras, a group of Nicaraguans attempting to overthrow the Sandinistas.
The 29-year-old secretary admitted under oath during the Iran/Contra hearings in Washington D.C. that she shredded documents and even smuggled out some papers in her underwear.
Between boos and cheers, Hall said congressmen should aid the Contras so U.S. military troops won't have to be sent to Central America to fight communism.
She also defended her actions and those of her former boss by saying that the Iran/Contra deal was committed for good motives.
"Lt. Col. North is not a criminal," she said. "And I have respect and dignity for myself and my family."
In a press release, Hall said she is just a normal person and she likes to cook and paint. She also said that her personal desire is to enter the field of broadcast journalism "to do something positive for myself and my country."
During her brief speech, Hall blasted the media for biased reporting of the Iran/Contra deal and congressional hearings.
She said that on the one hand, the media did an excellent job of letting the people know what happened by broadcasting and reporting the hearings.
But on the other hand, Hall said that some people were against sending money to the Contras because of unfair and biased reporting.
She pointed out that the media reported U.S. covert activities, which she thought were "irresponsibly revealed." She accused the media of sensationalizing the Iran/Contra news in an effort to grab attention.
Hall blamed the media for making North a scapegoat.
"I'm not looking for control of the media," she said. "I'm looking for fair and accurate news."
Hall said Nicaragua is a second Cuba and that money should be sent to the Contras to bring freedom to that country.
"Congress needs to vote on the issue, not the politics," she added.