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Riegle Under Attach

Riegle Under Attach image Riegle Under Attach image
Parent Issue
Day
1
Month
October
Year
1976
OCR Text

 

Riegle Under Attack

 

Local news media, led by The Detroit News, have launched an attack on U.S. Senatorial candidate Don Riegle (D-Flint) based on a joint federal income-tax refund check which Riegle endorsed in his former wife's name back in 1971.

The incident, which has nothing to do witli Riegle's record as a member of the

(cuntinued on page 23)

 

 

Riegle Attacked By Local Media

(Continued from the cover)

House of Representatives nor his current campaign platform, was played up all week by both Detroit dailies generating a number of non-stories in the process.

Riegle's opponent, U.S. Representative Marvin Esch (R-Ann Arbor), has so far demonstrated enough good taste not to raise the so-called issue in the heated Senate campaign, although both dailies attempted to make their non-story the focus of a Riegle Esch debate at the Economic Club of Detroit last week.

The media controversy centers on a copyrighted story in The News which claimed that Riegle signed his former wife's name to a tax-refund check made out in both their names and then pocketed the entire $4,525 refund himself.

Riegle maintains that he kept the entire proceeds of the check because he and his wife had separated and all their financial matters were in the process of being settled at the time.

Nancy Riegle did not learn of the check until 1972, The News story claimed. Riegle reports that he settled the matter in November 1972 by giving $2000 to the former Mrs. Riegle, who made no objection to the transaction.

Observers say the matter came up at this time only because the former Mrs. Riegle harbors bitter feelings toward the senatorial candidate and gave vent to them at a time when they could be used by her estranged husband's political enemies.

Riegle himself has charged The News with bias, telling reporters that the paper is "absolutely dedicated to the proposition that I'm not to be elected senator."

The News in fact endorsed Richard Austin, Mr. Riegle's opponent, in the Democratic senatorial primary last August.

The Detroit Free Press, the News' rival and the more "liberal' of the two 600,000-plus circular The Detroit Sun circulation dailies, carried the ball a few steps further with a front-page non-story the next day headlined "Disputed Tax Check Treated Gingerly By Esch and Riegle". The Free Press also gave its readers the impression that there is little difference between the platforms of Riegle and Esch in a series of editorial -page surveys.

Esch, the author of an antibusing amendment named for him, is running on the Ford-Dole ticket. Riegle, a vocal opponent of continued American involvement in the war in Vietnam and an early denouncer of the crimes of Richard Nixon- which led him to switch his party affiliation from Republican to Democratie- has a reputation as a hard-hitting reformer within Democratic Party circles.

Michigan Secretary of State Richard Austin, whose own campaign in the senatorial primary was derailed by media charges of political scandal (Sun, July 29), had little sympathy to offer his former opponent when questioned by The Sun about Riegle's current problems with the press.

"I personally will not comment on Mr. Riegle's problems with his wife," Austin told The Sun. "It doesn't affect my support. I'm supporting the Democratic ticket."

Austin's bid for the Democratic nomination to fill retiring Senator Phil Hart 's seat fell short after he was charged by the Detroit dailies with accepting political kickbacks from the Secretary of State's branch managers.

The system of branch managers' support for the party to which the Secretary of State happens to belong has been long established in Michigan politics, and Austin in fact has been phasing out the program during his term in office.

Yet the non-issue received enough attention to seriously undercut Austin's support. Austin was particularly vulnerable to charges of political corruption- however ill-founded-as a black candidate bidding to become the first black Democratic U.S. Senator in American history.

When contacted last Thursday for his response to Riegle's present plight, Austin preceded his remarks with an ironie chuckle and concluded his comments, "I have not given any recent consideration to this development."

 

The Detroit Sun CAMPAIGN '76

 

He signed for wjfe, kept refund, record shows Riegle tax case revealed by SETH KANTOR

Warunning for the US Senate on Feb.10 1971. The check until 1972, several months later their divorce had become final on 1971and then she discovered it by accident. whit the potential threat for a charge. Riegle met with his ex wife. In a session, Lewis Hall Griffith agreed to settle the tax refund matter with immediate payment to her according by the News.

 

Signing Tax Check for Wife Wasn't Illegal, Riegle Says

Donald Riegle, who said he is confident people "are going to make a decision on the issues in November."

 

Disputed Tax Check Treated Gingerly by Esch and Riegle By Billy Bowles Free Press Staff Writer

In a joint appearance before the Economic Club of Detroit Monday night. US Senate opponents Donald Riegle 

and Marvin Esch invited top business leaders to compare their respective records, but both avoided mention of the controversy over Riegle's handling of a 1971 income tax rebate to himself and his estranged wife. 

However, prior to the speech, the candidates appeared at a press conference at which Esch alluded to a possibility that Riegle forged his wife's name to the $4.525 rebate check.

Esch, a Republican congressman from Ann Arbor, had been asked by a newsman whether he felt Riegle's handling of the tax matter was " in any way improper."

"I'm not in any way going to raise the question in the campaign." Esch replied, "and I'm not going to contment on the question of whether Mr. Riegle did or did not forge a check."

Riegle, a Democratic congressman from Flint, said he did nothing dishonest and doesn't think the issue will "have measurable bearing on the campaign. "Please turn to Page 2A. Col. 1