Rep. McDade Announces He May Face Indictment; Pennsylvania Republican Denies Wrongdoing
Rep. Joseph M. McDade (Pa.), the ranking Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, said yesterday he expects the Justice Department to charge him soon with using his office to conduct a criminal enterprise in violation of the RICO Act.</br></br>McDade, 60, said at a news conference in Scranton that he expects to be cleared of any wrongdoing. He said federal prosecutors have focused on his efforts to secure a defense contract for a company that later made improper contributions to his campaign and on certain gratuities he received, including half a dozen free trips on corporate aircraft.</br></br>"When stripped to its essence, the charge is the congressman forgot to reimburse people for plane rides back to his district or for stays at their beach house or for a night and dinner at a hotel," said a statement released by McDade.</br></br>While the RICO statute has been used against numerous public officials, few members of Congress have been charged with RICO violations, according to the Justice Department. The RICO, or Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, often used in organized crime, terrorism and drug cases, is designed to attack a pattern of criminal conduct.</br></br>According to sources close to McDade, the federal investigation has centered on McDade's ties to United ChemCon, a company with a plant in McDade's congressional district. The Wall Street Journal disclosed in 1988 that the FBI was investigating whether McDade violated election or bribery laws by accepting more than $45,000 in campaign contributions and speaking fees from United ChemCon officials. The FBI was also looking into McDade's acceptance of a free beach house and free plane trips from United ChemCon.