From: clarinews@clarinet.com (United Press International)
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Subject: Brown denies drug used at his home
Keywords: politics
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 92 14:28:36 PDT
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Slugword: politics
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Note: (complete writethru -- updating)

	Edmund ``Jerry'' Brown Jr. fought off reports Friday that drugs had
been used in his home a decade ago, calling the allegations false and
saying the accusers had been ``put up to this'' in the middle of a
Democratic presidential campaign.
	Saying that ``something political'' was involved, Brown responded to
a report on ABC-TV Thursday night that four former policemen who
protected him when he was governor of California had seen drugs used
during parties at Brown's home in the early 1980s.
	``This is a bizarre, defamatory and totally false report,'' Brown
said, denying he held parties at his home. ``I didn't have parties. I
didn't socialize.''
	The latest in a series of bizarre events that have marked the 1992
political season came during a relative lull in the race for the
presidential nomination. Virginia Democrats begin caucuses Saturday but
the next primary is not until April 28 in Pennsylvania.
	Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, the clear front-runner for the Democratic
nomination, was resting his vocal chords in Little Rock Friday although
he did pick up the support of Sen. John ``Jay'' Rockefeller IV, D-W.Va.,
who for a period last summer thought about running for president.
	On the Republican side, President Bush held a news conference in
Washington before heading to Camp David for the weekend while his
challenger Patrick Buchanan kept up his long-shot attempt to unseat the
president.
	The ABC report contained no allegations that Brown himself used
drugs. But two of the four who appeared on camera with their faces
blacked out to conceal their identities said they saw or found traces of
the drugs at or after the parties.
	``What are they afraid of?'' Brown asked. ``Why don't they come
forward? I'm not governor. I can't affect their jobs. In addition,
California has a very strong civil service system. As my former chief of
staff said, anyone who reported drug use, they would have been promoted.
''
	``I'm telling you from my personal experience it's totally false ...
totally implausible ... the thing is a tissue of false, malicious absurd
allegations,'' Brown said. ``For ABC to use this in the middle of a
presidential campaign, I think is an outrage.''
	Brown said his efforts to rebut the allegations could result in ``a
major law suit'' against the network.
	``It seems like something political,'' Brown said. ``People put
someone up to this. It's just not right.''
	A number of associates of Brown when he was governor also said they
did not believe the story. One of those was a former Brown chief of
staff, Republican state Assemblyman B.T. Collins.
	``He never had parties,'' Collins said in Sacramento, Calif. ``I am
not his supporter ... but fair is fair and this is wrong. If anybody,
friend or foe, knew Jerry Brown, you knew he was the kind of person you
would not want to have a party with. All he wanted to do was talk about
the future of the ozone hole.''
	A spokesman for the California State Police said there were never any
reports of drug use at Brown's home.
	Meanwhile, the Clinton campaign was trying to round up uncommitted
delegates and party leaders to rally behind its candidate as the almost
certain nominee at the national convention in New York in July.
	Rockefeller, saying ``our fight is now with George Bush,'' was one
who stepped forward to do that and urged all other Democrats to rally
around the likely Democratic nominee.
	``It is time for Democrats to put the bloody fights, the charges and
attacks, and the diversionary scuffles behind us,'' Rockefeller said. 
``We cannot wait until July when we already know who has earned our
nomination.''
	Some political observers have suggested many members of Congres
continue to be uneasy about Clinton as the party's presidential nominee
and have held back their endorsements because of that, but Rockefeller
rejected that theory.
	``They're going to start doing that (come forward),'' Rockefeller
said. ``That's going to start happening now. ... Senators are notorious
for not puting themselves out front on all kinds of things, and this is
just another example.''
	In his news conference, Bush ducked questions about the Democratic
race. ``I'm not going to comment until I get ready,'' he told reporters.
He said that until the nominating process is over, ``I don't feel
comfortable about doing it.''
	On questions about disarray on his White House staff, Bush said he
was satisfied about the way it was being run.
	``I'm not unhappy,'' Bush insisted. ``If I were upset, you'd know
about it -- loud and clear.''
	He did add that he had given specific instructions in writing to his
staff and re-election officials ``to stay out of sleaze issues,'' adding
he would prefer to ``stick to the hard issues'' in the campaign.
	Buchanan said on the Fox ``Morning News'' program Friday that he
believes his maverick campaign against the president has had an effect,
but there is more yet to be done.
	``We think we've influenced Mr. Bush to admit he made a terrible
mistake in raising taxes,'' Buchanan said, ``... and we think we can get
him to do a lot more before we get to that convention where we make our
case.''
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