c. 1996 Religion News Service
ROME (RNS)-Lawyers for Raymond Flynn, U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, expressed optimism Friday (Feb. 2) that a legal dispute involving campaign expenses he allegedly failed to reimburse while mayor of Boston would be settled next week.
Flynn added that he has no plans to resign his post.
The assessment was in marked contrast to Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger’s continued threat to file a civil suit against Flynn unless the two sides come to terms over about $20,000 that the commonwealth contends Flynn owes from 1988-1993.
Lloyd Macdonald, Flynn’s principal attorney, said he expected a settlement”by next Wednesday”in which the ambassador would pay”$9,000 to $12,000 for reimbursement.””We want to get it done and the attorney general has stated he wants to get it done,”Macdonald said.
But Ed Cafasso, spokesman for the attorney general’s office, said,”It’s in their interest to say we’re near a settlement. There remains significant gaps between what we feel would be an equitable resolution and what Mr. Flynn’s attorneys feel would be an equitable resolution.” Two former mayoral aides to Flynn have been indicted in connection with the campaign fund case.
Joseph F. Fisher, who was special assistant to Flynn, has been indicted for allegedly taking $50,000 in illegal gratuities. Douglas deRusha, former finance director of the campaign committee, was indicted for allegedly embezzling up to $520,000 from the re-election campaign.
Flynn, who has served as ambassador to the Vatican since mid 1993, is alleged to have failed to reimburse the campaign for a 1991 vacation he took with his family to Disney World, in Florida, and for other expenses the attorney general’s office says he billed to the campaign.
While Flynn could face a civil suit unless the reimbursement issue is resolved, he is not under threat of criminal charges, prosecutors said.”When I first instructed my lawyers to review every item of my committee’s expenditures two years ago, I stated my readiness to make reimbursement of any expenditures found to have been personal in nature,”Flynn said in a statement released by his lawyers.”The process of finalizing a civil disposition agreement with the attorney general is now occurring.” But the legal issue could undermine the prospect of Flynn working on President Clinton’s re-election campaign, in which he has expressed interest in recent months.
The legal questions also come just two weeks after a State Department investigation recommended a”reprimand”of Flynn for having written a letter last April to U.S. religious, academic and business leaders that created the”appearance of partisanship”and failing to get the letter approved before sending it.
The letter sharply criticized efforts to reform U.S. anti-poverty programs.”The recent debate in the U.S. about poverty … has turned mean-spirited,”he wrote.
Secretary of State Warren Christopher has not acted on the proposed reprimand, made by Inspector General Jacquelyn Williams-Bridgers.
Macdonald said there was”no basis whatsoever”to reports that Flynn informed associates he would resign within a month.
Flynn, who was unavailable for an interview, said in his statement that”reports with respect to my intending to leave my post as this country’s ambassador to the Vatican are false.” However, in an apparent reference to his stated interest in helping the Clinton campaign, he added,”If in the months ahead the opportunity arises to enlarge my service to the president by playing that role in a different capacity than as ambassador, I would do it enthusiastically.”
MJP END HEILBRONNER
