Nation: Opening the Floodgate

The House's muscleris in trouble

It was billed by Republican Senators as a roast of Jimmy Carter and his Attorney General Griffin Bell. But when the Senate Judiciary Committee began to consider Benjamin R. Civiletti's nomination as Deputy Attorney General last week, the mood was surprisingly low-key. Only a narrow attack was mounted on the ouster of Philadelphia's U.S. Attorney, David Marston, the issue expected to dominate the hearings this week. Said Wyoming Republican Senator Malcolm Wallop: "There was no reason why Marston should not have been fired as a Republican; the only question is the timing."

Civiletti, 42,...

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