Nunn Says He Wouldn’t Vote for Tower at Present; Nominee Goes to White House

WASHINGTON —  Embattled Defense Secretary-designate John Tower visited the White House this morning as senior Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee said the nomination was beset with new allegations on Tower’s finances and drinking habits.

Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), the committee’s chairman, said today he met with President Bush at the White House on Tuesday night and the Administration now agrees that the panel should put off a vote on the nomination.

“I told the President frankly that I have serious concerns, and I also stated that if a vote was held immediately as some have urged, I would vote no because of these concerns,” Nunn told reporters.

The Administration had been pushing for a vote this week, but delayed the request after Nunn and the ranking Republican on the Armed Services panel, Sen. John W. Warner of Virginia, met with Bush.

The second-ranking Democrat on the committee, Sen. J. James Exon of Nebraska, said the latest FBI report on Tower could not be complete by Friday, when the Senate is scheduled to begin a weeklong recess, meaning a confirmation vote will be delayed at least 10 days.

“As a practical matter, they can’t draw it out too long,” Exon said.

The latest allegations concern Tower’s drinking and financial affairs, Exon said, but he added he would not know the specifics until the FBI report is complete.

Conflict of Interest

He said the allegations also concerned Tower’s ability to avoid a conflict of interest with defense contractors from whom he collected more than $1 million as a consultant.

But at the White House, Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater said the only new allegation “relates to Sen. Tower’s activities while he was in the Senate.” He refused to elaborate but said Bush still stands by Tower and expects that he will be confirmed.

Fitzwater said Nunn’s assertion that he would vote against Tower if a vote were held now was “disappointing, very disappointing.”

Asked by reporters whether Tower’s alcohol consumption was his chief concern, Nunn said:

“I don’t want to categorize it like that. That’s one of my primary concerns. The question there is whether there has been an alcohol abuse problem. If there has been a problem in the past, is there a point where it has been recognized by the nominee and dealt with effectively? That is to say, is it a continuing problem? I do not have an answer to that yet.”

He added, “It’s not a matter of one or two episodes, it’s a question of whether there’s a continuing pattern. . . . It’s a matter of a person in the chain of command that has control over the arsenal of the United States of America. . . . The secretary of defense has to, in my view, have clarity of thought at all times.”

Financial Questions

Nunn said there were new allegations “of a financial nature.” ABC News said they involved the ongoing Pentagon procurement investigation.

Tower went to the White House this morning for a regularly scheduled breakfast with Secretary of State James A. Baker III and National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft in Scowcroft’s office, Fitzwater said. Bush did not attend.

The meeting, at about 7:30 a.m., continued a tradition set during the Reagan Administration when then-National Security Adviser Colin L. Powell met for regular breakfasts with the secretary of state and defense secretary, Fitzwater said.