Wright Case

Republicans who hope the scandal surrounding House Speaker Jim Wright (D-Tex.) will become a major public issue are likely to be disappointed: According to a Gallup Poll conducted for the Times Mirror Corp., most Americans are not paying attention to Wright--fewer than half even know who he is. By contrast, Americans are paying close attention to news reports about the massive oil spill in Alaska, which has become by far the most watched story of the year, the poll shows. About 90% of those surveyed said they were following the Alaska story very or fairly closely, and about four of five respondents said they had talked about the oil spill with friends or co-workers.

A jury Tuesday ordered the city of Los Angeles to pay $1.2 million to a black police officer who alleged he was the butt of vulgar racial harassment by a white supervisor and other officers. In his lawsuit, Earl Wright, who joined the department in 1989, accused the supervisor, Sgt. Peter Foster, and a handful of officers of carrying out racial pranks and making comments that left him "embarrassed and humiliated. " In one instance, the lawsuit claimed, Wright asked Foster for permission to leave work early and Foster, who is white, responded, "Why?

The House Ethics Committee on Thursday directed that five witnesses involved in a Texas oil deal that benefited House Speaker Jim Wright (D-Tex.) appear next week and give testimony on the transaction, despite their earlier refusal to cooperate. Committee Chairman Julian C. Dixon (D-Los Angeles) said he rejected legal objections to the subpoenas by the five Texans and ordered them to appear here May 3 and 4 to answer questions that may wind up the 10-month investigation of the Speaker's finances.

Before he was speaker of the House, Rep. Newt Gingrich laid out an unyielding standard of public conduct for the person who held that post. In 1988 and '89, Gingrich didn't equivocate about what he thought of Speaker Jim Wright (D-Texas), who was under investigation by the House Ethics Committee after he was alleged to have strong-armed lobbyists into buying large numbers of a book he had written.

Assembly Speaker Willie Brown apparently "violated the professional rules" of the State Bar of California by seeking to intercede with a judge regarding traffic charges against Assemblywoman Cathie Wright's daughter, the Ventura County district attorney said Wednesday. Brown, a lawyer, is under investigation by the Bar Assn. for contacting a Ventura County municipal judge last year about a pending traffic case against Wright's daughter. Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury also said Wright "demonstrated a clear pattern of attempting to obtain special treatment for herself and her daughter with the police, the courts and the Department of Motor Vehicles."

No plaques or prizes hang on his office walls commemorating the work. Mostly, Dave Montgomery of the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram has pictures of his kids in Brownie outfits and football jerseys and one jokingly naming him an admiral in the Texas Navy. But in the last two years, ever since questions arose about the ethics of House Speaker Jim Wright, reporters from most of the major news organizations have paraded through Montgomery's office in Washington to sit by his haphazardly organized one-drawer file and read his clippings.

A jury Tuesday ordered the city of Los Angeles to pay $1.2 million to a black police officer who alleged he was the butt of vulgar racial harassment by a white supervisor and other officers. In his lawsuit, Earl Wright, who joined the department in 1989, accused the supervisor, Sgt. Peter Foster, and a handful of officers of carrying out racial pranks and making comments that left him "embarrassed and humiliated. " In one instance, the lawsuit claimed, Wright asked Foster for permission to leave work early and Foster, who is white, responded, "Why?

The Times' article (March 16) spoke of the jury verdict against Orange County Sheriff Brad Gates in the Guillory case. The jury felt that Gates had abused his powers. An accompanying article spoke of the views of some Orange County Republican politicians regarding that verdict. In that accompanying article, state Sen. Marian Bergeson stated that Gates was " . . . not going to be hurt in the long run. . . . I think he's pretty well entrenched." Mission Viejo City Councilman (Robert A.)

The House Ethics Committee concluded Wednesday that House Speaker Jim Wright (D-Tex.) improperly took gifts from a Texas business partner and evaded House limits on outside income through bulk sales of his book, congressional sources said. Voting behind closed doors after a 10-month investigation, a bipartisan majority of the panel appeared to deliver a devastating blow to the Speaker and his hopes of remaining in his leadership post. A report of the committee's preliminary inquiry--equivalent to an indictment or formal listing of charges that the panel believes are true--is expected later this week or early next week.

Democrats were stunned Monday by the unanimous House Ethics Committee vote against Speaker Jim Wright (D-Tex.), and some predicted that the panel's unexpectedly strong findings will make it harder for him to remain in the nation's third highest office. "When I heard it was unanimous, I said, 'Wow, this is a whole new ballgame,' " a leading Democrat remarked. His reaction was typical of the views of many of Wright's allies--none of whom would be quoted by name--who as recently as last Thursday had expressed confidence that the Speaker could survive the scandal.

Rookie swingman Lorenzen Wright, who started his first NBA game in Tuesday's 96-89 victory over the Charlotte Hornets, said he had butterflies. "I was very nervous," Wright said. "It was my first time out there really just playing, and [Vlade] Divac got a few quick moves on me and got some fouls early, but we won; that's the most important thing." Wright, who had three points and one rebound in six minutes, didn't play in the second half, but Coach Bill Fitch said Wright might start tonight.

The State Bar has decided to take no action against Assembly Speaker Willie Brown for contacting a judge who was hearing traffic charges against the daughter of Assemblywoman Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley). There was "an absence of compelling evidence" that Brown, a Democrat from San Francisco, violated its rules, the Bar said in a terse news release. "Speaker Brown and the judge did speak," Michael Saleen, the Bar's assistant chief trial counsel, said Thursday.

The House Ethics Committee said it plans to hire the Chicago law firm that conducted the Jim Wright investigation to review a complaint against Republican Whip Newt Gingrich of Georgia. Gingrich's charges against Wright led to an 11-month investigation conducted by Richard J. Phelan, of the firm Phelan, Pope & John Ltd. Wright quit as Speaker and resigned from the House after the committee charged him with 69 rules violations. Rep. Bill Alexander (D-Ark.

The House ethics war escalated Sunday as both Democratic and Republican leaders threatened to press partisan investigations in the aftermath of scandals battering House Speaker Jim Wright (D-Tex.) and Majority Whip Tony Coelho (D-Merced). Reps. William H. Gray III (D-Pa.) and David E. Bonior (D-Mich.) suggested that the House Ethics Committee will examine the activities of at least three Republicans, particularly House Minority Whip Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), who prompted the ethics probe that is expected to lead to Wright's resignation, possibly this week.

In style, it was a contest between F. Lee Bailey and Elmer Gantry, between a hard-nosed, forceful defense lawyer and an arm-waving evangelist of a prosecutor. Stephen D. Susman--in the Bailey role--argued the case Tuesday for House Speaker Jim Wright (D-Tex.) by following a tried-and-true litigator's rule: If the facts seem to be against you, argue the law. Without challenging the acts with which Wright has been charged, Susman insisted that House ethics rules simply do not apply to Wright's conduct.

Republicans who hope the scandal surrounding House Speaker Jim Wright (D-Tex.) will become a major public issue are likely to be disappointed: According to a Gallup Poll conducted for the Times Mirror Corp., most Americans are not paying attention to Wright--fewer than half even know who he is. By contrast, Americans are paying close attention to news reports about the massive oil spill in Alaska, which has become by far the most watched story of the year, the poll shows. About 90% of those surveyed said they were following the Alaska story very or fairly closely, and about four of five respondents said they had talked about the oil spill with friends or co-workers.

The House Ethics Committee said it plans to hire the Chicago law firm that conducted the Jim Wright investigation to review a complaint against Republican Whip Newt Gingrich of Georgia. Gingrich's charges against Wright led to an 11-month investigation conducted by Richard J. Phelan, of the firm Phelan, Pope & John Ltd. Wright quit as Speaker and resigned from the House after the committee charged him with 69 rules violations. Rep. Bill Alexander (D-Ark.

Rookie swingman Lorenzen Wright, who started his first NBA game in Tuesday's 96-89 victory over the Charlotte Hornets, said he had butterflies. "I was very nervous," Wright said. "It was my first time out there really just playing, and [Vlade] Divac got a few quick moves on me and got some fouls early, but we won; that's the most important thing." Wright, who had three points and one rebound in six minutes, didn't play in the second half, but Coach Bill Fitch said Wright might start tonight.

No plaques or prizes hang on his office walls commemorating the work. Mostly, Dave Montgomery of the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram has pictures of his kids in Brownie outfits and football jerseys and one jokingly naming him an admiral in the Texas Navy. But in the last two years, ever since questions arose about the ethics of House Speaker Jim Wright, reporters from most of the major news organizations have paraded through Montgomery's office in Washington to sit by his haphazardly organized one-drawer file and read his clippings.

Assembly Speaker Willie Brown apparently "violated the professional rules" of the State Bar of California by seeking to intercede with a judge regarding traffic charges against Assemblywoman Cathie Wright's daughter, the Ventura County district attorney said Wednesday. Brown, a lawyer, is under investigation by the Bar Assn. for contacting a Ventura County municipal judge last year about a pending traffic case against Wright's daughter. Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury also said Wright "demonstrated a clear pattern of attempting to obtain special treatment for herself and her daughter with the police, the courts and the Department of Motor Vehicles."