GATES TAKES HEAT; OK SEEMS LIKELY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP99-01448R000301270050-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 9, 2012
• Sequence Number: 50
• Publication Date: February 19, 1987
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/10: CIA-RDP99-01448R000301270050-1
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USA TODAY
19 February 1987
Gates takes
heat; OK
seems likely
By Bob Minzesheimer
USA TODAY'
Acting CIA Director Robert
Gates appears on his way to be-
ing confirmed as director after
two days of tough questioning
by the Senate Intelligence
Committee.
Wednesday, Gates bore. the
brunt of the panel's frustration
about being kept in the dark on
the Iranian arms deal for more
than nine months. He was ac-
cused of "passing the buck"
and "playing it safe."
But after the confirmation
hearing ended, Sen. William
Cohen, R-Maine, vice chair-
man of the panel, said there
was "no new information" that
appeared to jeopardize Gates'
confirmation.
He would replace William
Casey, who resigned after suf-
fering a brain tumor.
Gates was pressed on what
he had done last October about
CIA "speculation" that profits
from arms sales were diverted
to the Nicaraguan contra re-
bels. He said he and Casey told
former national security advis-
er John Poindexter.
"Did you ever ask Mr. Poin-
dexter point blank, 'Is there a
diversion to the contras?' "
asked Sen. Bill Bradley, D-N.J.
Gates: "No sir, I did not"
"In hindsight," Gates said, "I
may have made a tactical mis-
take by not launching an agres-
sive investigation. But what I
did was done to get it in the
hands of people who had more
knowledge."
The committee won't vote
on recommending the nomina.
tion to the full Senate until af-
ter Feb. 26, when the Tower
Commission reports on its in-
vestigation of the National Se-
curity Council, which carried
out the secret arms sales.
About Gates' actions, Cohen
said its "unreasonable to think
that a new deputy director
would push Casey aside and go
right to the president"
says he
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/10: CIA-RDP99-01448R000301270050-1