Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 19, 1991 TAG: 9103190532
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B2 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium
The FBI is probing links between developers and City Council members, Ward said. The FBI would not confirm or deny any investigation Monday.
Ward said the investigation could be a Republican "effort to discredit" Democrats.
Ward is one of six Democrats and one Republican whose personal and campaign finance records have been obtained by the FBI.
"If this is a political conspiracy, the same effect is achieved," Ward said. "You discredit by suspicion. It carries the same effect as being discredited by judicial conviction."
He had no evidence of a conspiracy, he said. But Ward said he wants to know why some Republican politicians and activists seemed to know details of a probe some time ago. Democrats were taken by surprise by the requests for documents earlier this month, he said.
Ward said Republican political consultant Howard Burkholz told him last spring that "the FBI is looking at certain things" and that former GOP City Chairman Frank Driscoll had made similar comments to local Democrats.
Burkholz said Monday that he has not spoken with any agents and that it was ridiculous to suggest he was a catalyst for the investigation.
On March 8 FBI agents visited the offices of the city clerk and voter registrar to obtain the financial disclosure forms and campaign finance reports of Ward, former Mayor David Wynne, current Councilmen Robert "Buddy" Bagley and Lionell Spruill, and past council members Gary Markham, Nora Davenport and Cecil Jenkins.
by CNB