From: clarinews@clarinet.com (TED APPEL)
Newsgroups: clari.news.gov.state,clari.news.politics,clari.news.law.drugs,biz.clarinet.sample,clari.news.top
Subject: Police: Officers never reported drugs at Brown's house
Keywords: state government, government, politics, illegal drugs, legal
Date: 11 Apr 92 05:36:56 GMT
Followup-To: biz.clarinet.sample
ACategory: usa
Slugword: brown
Priority: major
Format: regular
X-Supersedes: <brownU2AB1ae@clarinet.com>
ANPA: Wc: 708; Id: z0677; Sel: xxngs; Adate: 4-11-135aed; Ver: insert; V#: 1
Codes: yngsrxx., ynp.rxx., ynldrxx.
Note: (Complete writethru -- changes verb usage 3d graf: The State...; picksup
 4thgraf pvs: ``Never, never,...)


	SACRAMENTO, Calif. (UPI) -- California State Police say that no drug
parties were ever reported at the private home of Democratic
presidential candidate Edmund ``Jerry'' Brown when he was governor.
	The State Police are trying to identify two former members of Brown's
security detail who told ABC News they saw ``large quantities'' of
cocaine and marijuana used at several parties at Brown's Los Angeles
home while he governed the state between 1975 and 1982.
	``Never, never, never in the memories or officialdom of California
State Police were any of these allegations brought to light,'' Capt.
Robert Donnalley, a spokesman at State Police headquarters in
Sacramento, said Friday.
	Appearing on a public forum presentation of ABC's Nightline early
Saturday, Brown challenged ABC to name the officers making the
allegation.
	Brown said the officers making the allegations were not witnesses but
``character assassins'' and said his campaign will find out the reason
such charges were made.
	Republican presidential challenger Patrick Buchanan, appearing on the
same program, said that if the network is going to make a charge of such
a ``grievous'' crime, they should be up front and name the witnesses.
	The Rev. Jesse Jackson, also on the program, said the network
appeared to be pursuing a 20-year ``ghost''
	Brown has categorically denied ever giving a party where drugs were
used. Earlier Friday he threatened a lawsuit to force the television
network to name the two men, whose faces were hidden on camera, and get
sworn statements from the former officers.
	``I didn't host these parties. I certainly didn't host any parties
with drugs being used. I never saw any drugs being used in my house at
any time,'' Brown said on Nightline Thursday night from the campaign
trail in Pittsburgh.
	None of the officers accused Brown of using drugs, and none said they
saw him in the presence of others using drugs.
	Four former members of Brown's security detail told ABC News that
cocaine and marijuana were used at the governor's Laurel Canyon house
while he was in the residence. None of the officers was identified, but
two appeared on camera with their faces concealed.
	California Attorney General Dan Lungren will not investigate the drug
charges because the three-year statute of limitations elapsed long ago.
	``There is nothing we can do about it. It was too long ago,'' Lungren
spokesman Dave Puglia said. ``The statute of limitations has long since
run out.''
	Donnalley said members of the security detail never told their
supervisors about drug use at the house. State Police are reviewing
tapes of television reports in an effort to identify the men.
	``Not only was Jerry Brown's integrity attacked, but the California
State Police as well,'' Donnalley said. ``We simply don't know who these
people are or what their motivation is to come forward with this
information after 15 years of silence.
	``We are taking a very close look at it. We have to assume that these
people may not have been police officers to begin with,'' he said.
	Close associates of Brown when he was governor were shocked by the
charges and said they had never seen or heard of drug use by or around
Brown.
	``I never saw any evidence of drug use during the Brown
administration whatsoever,'' said state Controller Gray Davis, who
served as Brown's chief of staff from 1975 to 1981.
	``I can categorically say that I've never even heard anyone discuss
it,'' Davis said.
	Republican state Assemblyman B.T. Collins, who was chief of staff at
the conclusion of his governorship, said Brown did not hold parties and
was staunchly opposed to drugs and alcohol.
	``When I stayed at his house I used to complain, 'There's no booze
here, governor,''' Collins said.
	``He never had parties,'' Collins said. ``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.''
Xref: sparky clari.news.gov.international:279 clari.news.interest.people:24 clari.news.politics:591 clari.news.group.blacks:28 biz.clarinet.sample:1247