— Warren Richardson’s withdrawal from consideration as a nominee for the office of Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) because of his associations with the anti-Semitic Liberty Lobby leave many questions unanswered and “I don’t think the matter is closed,” Nathan Perlmutter, national director of the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, said today.
Richardson, a special assistant to HHS Secretary Richard Schweiker and Schweiker’s choice for the post, withdrew his name Friday, citing “political realism” as the reason. He issued a statement at the same time condemning “unequivocally the anti-Jewish and racist actions of the Liberty Lobby” which he served as general counsel from 1969-73.
Schweiker, a former Republican Senator from Pennsylvania, accepted his withdrawal “with regret” and claimed that “after careful review” there was “no convincing evidence” that Richardson was anti-Semitic or racist.
ADL RAISES QUESTIONS
But Perlmutter observed: “Something is wrong with a system in which a person of Warren Richardson’s background can reach a point where he is recommended for a high government post. Did someone not care that Liberty Lobby was anti-Semitic? Why is Sen. Schweiker still defending Richardson? These are just a few of the questions which must be answered,”
The ADL and the American Jewish Committee charged last week that Liberty Lobby was an anti-Semitic, anti-Black organization and that Richardson’s association with it disqualified him for the sub-Cabinet post. Rep. Sam Gejdenson (D.Conn.) publicly disclosed Richardson’s activities for the Liberty Lobby a week ago and said that if Schweiker did not withdraw his nomination, he would personally oppose Richardson before the Senate Finance Committee which must approve it.
Gejdenson noted that during the period of Richardson’s association with the Liberty Lobby, the far rightwing Washington-based group was charging that Jewish bankers financed world communism and that Zionism was a conspiracy to control the world.
Gejdenson called attention to an article that appeared under Richardson’s by-line on the Op-Ed page of the New York Times in May, 1971 in which the author said “Liberty Lobby will not tag along with the cowards who would rather countenance another national disaster than brave the screams of the pro-Zionist ‘free press’ in America.”
After Gejdenson’s disclosures and under fire from Jewish organizations and various civil rights groups, Schweiker’s office announced last week that Richardson’s nomination would be “reviewed”. He remained a special assistant to Schweiker, however.
STATEMENT BY RICHARDSON
In his statement after withdrawing his name, Richardson said: “I condemn unequivocally the anti-Jewish and racist actions of the Liberty Lobby and some of its employees and officers. I find morally repugnant their statements, publications and views–expressed and unexpressed–which are anti-Jewish, anti-Black or discriminatory in any way to any group by virtue of race, color, creed or national origin. I never at any time personally subscribed to those views; nor did I assist in any way their preparation or dissemination.”
Richardson’s statement attributed his working for Liberty Lobby to “a period of financially stressed family circumstances.” He noted that he had resigned eight years ago and regreted that he had not done so sooner. Last week, Richardson acknowledged having written the Times’ Op-Ed article but claimed that the anti-Semitic paragraph had been inserted before publication by someone else at Liberty Lobby.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
