Heflin Becomes 1st Senate Dem To Back Tower. See end of text for Sidebar-The Tower Allegations CITY Edition

• Published in: Newsday
• Main Author: By Myron S. Waldman and Susan Page. Washington Bureau
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: Long Island, N.Y Newsday LLC 07.03.1989
• Edition: Combined editions
• Subjects: Washington

Including [Howell Heflin], 41 senators support Tower's nomination, meaning at least nine more - Democrat or Republican - are needed for confirmation. The Tower Allegations President [George Bush] dismisses them as "rumor and innuendo" that the FBI has "gunned down"; Senate Armed Services Chairman Sam Nunn of Georgia and others argue they are serious enough to warrant rejecting his nomination as secretary of defense. Here is a summary of the allegations and of the rebuttal by Tower and his supporters: ALCOHOL ABUSE Allegations: Long-rumored allegations that Tower had a drinking problem came into the open when conservative activist Paul Weyrich testified Jan. 31 that on several occasions he had seen Tower drunk and socializing with women who were not his wife. Weyrich said the transition office had received letters containing specific allegations of impropriety. The FBI investigated allegations that an Arizona businessman saw Tower drunk on three occasions in Washington; that a businessman saw Tower drunk at a party in West Germany; that a flight attendant saw Tower consume so much vodka during a trip to Paris that he had difficulty getting off the plane; that Tower was seen drunk at the Monocle restaurant, a popular dining spot near the Senate, and that he was seen drunk in his Dallas neighborhood. Democratic senators say the FBI report includes numerous incidents of alleged alcohol abuse in recent years, not just in the 1970s. Defense: Tower denies he has a drinking problem. But he has admitted that "I used to be a pretty good scotch drinker" in the 1970s, and he concedes he may have drunk to excess then. In recent years, he says, he has limited himself to wine and "perhaps an occasional martini, occasionally a little vodka with smoked salmon or caviar." If confirmed, he has pledged to drink no alcohol during his tenure. Specific allegations investigated by the FBI included charges that Tower seduced a woman at a party and had "a protracted relationship" with a Russian ballerina in Houston. The Washington Post also reported charges by a retired Air Force sergeant that Tower on two occasions appeared to be drunk and fondled women during visits to Bergstrom Air Force Base in Austin, Texas. And Newsday reported that a government investigation into alleged security violations while Tower was in Geneva found evidence that Tower's subordinates engaged in widespread sexual liaisons; they also received testimony that Tower himself once chased a secretary around his office. Defense: White House officials say the woman allegedly seduced at the party told the FBI that Tower simply helped her to the bathroom when she was ill. They also say the FBI found "no substance" to the allegation of an affair with a Russian ballerina.