The Democratic leadership of the House was thrown into further turmoil Saturday with the announcement by Rep. Tony Coelho, D-Calif., the party's No. 3 leader, that he will resign.
Coelho's decision to leave the House because of an investigation of his finances came amid indications the Democrats' top leader, Speaker Jim Wright, of Texas, also is likely to resign.Wright, under the cloud of an ethics investigation, maintains he has not made a decision to resign, but Coelho's action is expected to make it more difficult for the speaker to remain in office.
The departure of both Wright and Coelho would set off the most dramatic round of leadership succession in years. Democratic leader Thomas Foley, of Washington, a 13-term veteran, is all but certain to succeed Wright as speaker, but several candidates are lining up for Foley's, Coelho's and lower-level Democratic posts.
Coelho, highly regarded by his colleagues, had been expected to seek the Democratic leader's job if Foley moved up.
Rep. Beryl Anthony, D-Ark., chairman of the Democrats' congressional campaign committee, said Saturday he will be a candidate for Coelho's post. Also expected to join the race are Reps. David Bonior, D-Mich., chief deputy to Coelho, and Bill Gray, D-Pa., chairman of the Democratic caucus.
"It would not be surprising if other people jumped in," a Democratic aide said.
Foley said Coelho will be "a difficult person to replace because of his great abilities, but the House is fortunate in having people of very great capacity and ability in the House ready to assume leadership responsibility. We have great talent."
A two-man contest to succeed Foley as Democratic leader - should he become speaker - was shaping up between Rep. Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., who made an unsuccessful bid for his party's presidential nomination last year, and Rep. Ed Jenkins, D-Ga. Jenkins is a member of the influential Ways and Means and Budget committees but is not well known outside Washington.
A Democratic leadership source termed Gephardt "unbeatable" and said the congressman was "making the commitment to his colleagues that he isn't running for president in '92 and he will make a serious commitment to the House, and that's all they want to hear."
Foley, 60, continued Saturday to play down reports that Wright will leave and said the speaker's fate is not affected by Coelho's decision.
"I don't think they're connected, except as they are both extremely able and energetic and effective people," Foley said in a telephone interview from his home in Spokane, Wash. "But the speaker has not indicated any intention to leave the House, so I don't want to try to make a connection between the two of them at this point."
But Wright, 66, is under increasing pressure to spare the House and the Democratic Party any further controversy over the ethics charges against him.
Coelho's decision to resign effective June 15 - his 47th birthday - was prompted by word that the Justice Department has begun a preliminary inquiry into his 1986 purchase of a $100,000 junk bond from Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc.
Common Cause asked the House ethics committee Friday to begin its own probe of the transaction to determine if Coelho had violated House rules by receving preferential treatment in obtaining financing.
In a statement released by his office, Coelho insisted the purchase was legitimate but said his ability to carry out his duties had been "diminished by needless and baseless charges."
Coelho, in his sixth term, became assistant Democratic leader - the party whip - at the start of the 100th Congress in 1987.