North Not Barring Race for Congress
ORLANDO, Fla. — Former White House aide Oliver L. North said Friday he won’t rule out a run for Congress, although his conviction in the Iran-Contra affair means he cannot hold federal office.
North acknowledged he must first overcome “tremendous legal problems” from the scandal but, in his first speaking appearance since being spared prison time Wednesday, North said he had other matters on his mind.
“I deeply believe my first responsibility is to my family, which is still at risk from Abu Nidal and the Arab terrorists and the Libyans, both of whom have offered to take me out,” he told members of the College Republicans National Committee.
North, 45, was given a three-year suspended sentence, fined $150,000 and ordered to perform 1,200 hours of community service for his role in the Ronald Reagan Administration’s secret scheme to arm the Contras.
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