When the Enemy Is Congress : Ex-official’s plea shows why Iran-Contra case is really about defending the Constitution

Elliott Abrams, who as an assistant secretary of state in the Reagan Administration was one of the most visible and passionate advocates of U.S. aid to Nicaraguan Contras, has pleaded guilty to two counts of withholding information from Congress about secret military support to the guerrilla group.

The pleas, to misdemeanors that could bring a prison sentence of up to two years and fines of up to $200,000, abruptly end Abrams’ long contention that he never knowingly misled Congress. He now admits doing so on two occasions in 1986. In court papers prosecutors say that the deceptions, which involved trying to shield Lt. Col. Oliver L. North’s covert activities from legislative scrutiny, were aimed at protecting the $100-million Contra aid package that was then before Congress. Had Congress known of the covert support program it may well have rejected further aid.

This is not, though, the end of the matter. Under an agreement reached with independent counsel Lawrence E. Walsh’s office, Abrams promised to cooperate fully with federal prosecutors by testifying truthfully before a grand jury or in court proceedings related to the Iran-Contra scandal. This makes it clear that the nearly five-year-long investigation will continue. And it implies that Abrams has knowledge that could implicate other Reagan Administration officials in scandal-related activities.

The Iran-Contra affair has gone on at wearying length. But its duration is warranted by the seriousness of the attack on constitutional processes mounted by those who hatched the intricate plot. A small group of appointed government officials tried to put their judgment above that of the elected representatives of the American people, denying Congress information about events that fell legitimately and necessarily under its purview. The prosecution of the Iran-Contra wrongdoers in the end is an act to defend the Constitution.