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eR tty, ing prominent politicians in shab- by conspiracies, But at the end of the ABSCAM investigation, after the exhilaration of the publicity and the trials was over, came the _- Tuination of several lives, includ- font = r ASHINGTON_ — Ape parently no one in Wash- - ington is safe from .the *, vicious accusations that keep seep- ~ ing out of the FBI’s raw files. The most of it as false as it is scur- dignitaries as Secretary of State Alexander Haig, Speaker Tip ‘O'Neill, Sen. Ted Kennedy, D- Mass., ex-Sen. Jacob Javits, R- N.Y: , Sen. Pat Moynihan, D-N.Y., Sen. ’ Alfonse D’Amato, R-N.Y., few. Most of the ‘ugly, unfounded accusations can be traced to the infamous ABSCAM tapes, which were kept by undercover agents who tried to coax members of Congress into committing crimes. hours of sordid dialogue, implicat- ing those of innocent people. “Washington can be a cruel city,” a subdued Alexander Haig - told me after reading an FBI. transcript about himself. The tran- script, reviewed by my associate ~ Indy Badhwar, contains salacious statements that have been in- vestigated and have been found untrue, the FBI informed the State Department. Still the docu-— ment has been passed around the backrooms of Washington like a forbidden copy of a Pornographic Haig’s accuser was “Alfred 7 Carpentier, an East Meadow, N.Y., businessman, who hi been sentenced to four years in prison in connection with the ABSCAM operation. While the secret FBI tapes picked up every word, he <> told of an alleged argument with ; oo Haig over a Haig acquaintance — a . - ‘man with underworld connections a who ¥ was also an alle eo) homosex: ual. - subterranean traffic in tittle-tattle, and House Judiciary Chairman Peter Rodino, D-N. J., to name a The tapes contain hundreds. of © 7 ene rilous, has besmirched some of - —.- Washington’ s biggest reputations. ... The victims include such "Although the ABSCAM opera-i= definitely taking contributions. He’s on the take,” ~~ The judge hastened to em- - phasize that there was “absolutely - - No proof” of any wrongdoing by we _the maligned senator. --. 7 Still another transcript de- scribes an elaborate plot to funnel - money “to 10 or 12 congressmen” - through a Republican campaign . committee. This was proposed by William Rosenberg, a shady poli-" tico, who promised that “when a | favor is needed, at that time a congressman would assist.” “*- ae Rodino is portrayed as “controlled by the New Jersey mob” and ‘‘backed by them” financially. Several other |. distinguished members of Con- ]° "gress, ‘including Sen. Pat Moynihan, Sen. Russell Long, D-'. La., and House Democratic leader | 7 Jim Wright, D-Texas, are charac- - terized as candidates. for forrup-.. . - , tion. at 7 All “these unsubstantiated charges are being blown around ... the country by. an ill wind called, - _ ABSCAM, ¢ = 64-84 -s LoL Footnote: The FBI refused to” j comment on the scandal-monger-" ing on the grounds that the. - .ABSCAM cases are ‘still under’. investigation. aerate lawyer, _ In the tapes, had never; Ce RL ET: acnamne - tives agreed that Carpentier hada loose and vicious tongue, they not... ] “only leaked his foulmouthings - “about Haig but offered for the .} public record his tape-recorded ~ accusations against Sen. D’Amato. «. Carpentier told FBI undercover agents that he had been paying off . politicians. ‘“‘No big numbers,” he Said, ‘Five to ten” grand. ...°:{ D'Amato may look to shake you ‘ down for a little more. The guy is ‘| ne en be tenga A Stn innit SEMA tea he Sti al Mt en ba EE anal aan mbna asta at oan Rid Sele ah sani eee eee we ne 2 * x