American Notes Lobbying

The tangled affairs of former White House Aide Michael Deaver took a few more twists last week. Whitney North Seymour Jr., a former U.S. Attorney in Manhattan, was named by a special three-judge panel as the independent counsel to investigate allegations of misconduct against him. Seymour was instructed to investigate all of Deaver's suspect dealings and not be limited to the two cited by the Justice Department: Deaver's approach last summer to then White House National Security Adviser Robert McFarlane on behalf of a tax break for Puerto Rico, and his participation in a meeting last October with the special U.S. envoy to Canada concerning the acid rain issue. One new area emerged that Seymour might delve into: Deaver's approach to FCC Chairman Mark Fowler last year on behalf of his client CBS during the Ted Turner takeover bid for the network. Deaver says he merely wanted to talk about the timing of a procedural matter.