The special counsel probing the Iran-Contra affair asked the House for records that might indicate if former Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger lied to congressional investigators.
Rep. Lee Hamilton, D. Ind., informed the House late Thursday afternoon that special counsel Lawrence Walsh formally requested committee records to determine if Weinberger "made material false statements or intentionally withheld relevant material" from a special House committee created to investigate the Iran-Contra matter.Walsh, appointed by then-Attorney General Edwin Meese in 1987, has been investigating allegations that the Reagan administration sold arms to Iran and illegally used the proceeds to aid U.S. rebels in Nicaragua.
The House and Senate also appointed committees to investigate the allegations,
Hamilton said the House committee has not taken a position regarding the truthfulness of Weinberger's testimony.
He said adoption of the House resoltion, which is necessary to authorize release of the requested records, "simply means the House honor the request by counsel who has stated the information he seeks is necessary to the proper conduct of his investigation."
Republican House members, while not opposing the request, strongly criticized Walsh. They said his five-year investigation has failed to prove any wrongdoing by top officials of the Reagan administration and has cost taxpayers some $40 million.