Tower Says He’s No Drinker and Is a ‘Man of Discipline’ : He Answers His Critics Publicly

WASHINGTON —  Defense Secretary-designate John Tower, given a chance today to answer his critics in public, denied to senators that he has a drinking problem and described himself as “a man of some discipline.”

In a fourth day of public and private testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee he once headed, Tower was asked directly by Chairman Sam Nunn (D-Ga.) to describe his view of alcohol and whether he had a drinking problem.

“I have none. I am a man of some discipline,” the former senator replied.

Conservative activist Paul Weyrich, the chairman of Coalitions for America, told the committee Tuesday that he had seen Tower drunk “on numerous occasions” in the past and also in the company of women to whom he was not married. Senators later said that behind closed doors Weyrich could not offer the specifics to make his allegations anything more than “hearsay.”

‘Zero Tolerance’ Policy

Tower told the committee in response to a question about his attitude toward women that as defense secretary he would have a “zero tolerance” policy for sexual harassment in the armed forces. He also mentioned that he does not want to see military women in combat.

Regarding alcohol, Tower said, “I think it is essential that the secretary of defense be at all times capable of exercising the duties and responsibilities of the office, some of which are more sensitive and critical than the general public realizes. And therefore I think there should be zero toleration of anyone . . . who has an alcohol problem.”

Tower was able to answer his critics publicly after a nearly two-hour closed session with the committee this morning. In the open forum, he responded to what were likely to be a final round of questions, including queries about potential conflicts of interest. He pledged in the wake of his recent defense consulting work to avoid even the perception of a conflict of interest.

Nunn punched his own hole in another Weyrich allegation--that President Bush’s transition team had received letters with specific allegations about Tower’s behavior.

Reports Checked by FBI

Nunn produced a letter from White House counsel C. Boyden Gray that said no letters could be found with specific claims of misbehavior by Tower. It also said every allegation heard about Tower was given to the FBI for checking.

There was no immediate indication of when the committee would vote on Tower’s nomination. Nunn cautiously declined comment about whether the nomination was in trouble.

The Tower controversy began when Weyrich, one of three people testifying Tuesday against him, challenged his “moral character” in open session.

“Over the course of many years, I have encountered the nominee in a condition, a lack of sobriety, as well as with women to whom he was not married,” Weyrich said.

“I encountered him frequently enough to the point that it made an impression,” said Weyrich, who worked as a staff member in the Senate when Tower was a senator. “I did encounter this on a number of occasions.”