Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 9, 1990 TAG: 9003091915
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: The New York Times
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
Poindexter's chief defense lawyer insisted repeatedly that the evidence would prove Poindexter "committed no crimes at all, none at all."
Poindexter, who was President Ronald Reagan's national security adviser, is the highest official of that administration to stand trial in the Iran-Contra case. The former Navy rear admiral saw the president virtually every day, often alone.
Poindexter is the last of the original Iran-Contra defendants to face criminal charges. He is accused of five offenses, including conspiracy, obstruction of Congress and making false statements to Congress.
The opening statements followed a ruling Thursday by U.S. District Judge Harold Greene permitting Oliver North, the former National Security Council aide, to testify. The defense had sought to restrict the testimony of North, who is scheduled to appear today as the first prosecution witness.
Despite his ruling, Greene expressed doubts about North's truthfulness, saying that his statements at a pretrial hearing had suggested he was "prevaricating on various issues."
For nearly two hours Thursday morning, Dan Webb, the lead prosecutor, described in often painstaking detail how Poindexter supervised North's activities as the former aide organized the sale of arms to Iran and used part of the proceeds to support the Nicaraguan rebels.
Those activities were conducted after Congress banned direct aid to the Contras in November 1984.
The prosecutor asserted that North "lied, lied, lied" to Congress on Poindexter's instructions.
Poindexter's chief defense counsel, Richard Beckler, ridiculed the prosecution's case in a sometimes bellicose two-hour presentation.
"Despite what the prosecution said, the evidence will show that Mr. Poindexter never lied to Congress," he said. Beckler said Poindexter believed his actions were legal and in accord with instructions from Reagan.
Beckler's insistence that Poindexter was obediently following his superiors' lawful orders seemed to clash with Poindexter's testimony at the Iran-Contra congressional hearings in July 1987 when he testified he was unable to recall specific conversations with Reagan on details of Contra aid activities.
by CNB