ABC Evening News open - 1977-09-05

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:00] The ABC Evening News with Harry Reasoner

[0:02] and Barbara Walters and tonight Howard

[0:05] K. Smith in Washington.

[0:07] Good evening. Barbara's on vacation. Our

[0:09] top stories, two top senators on the

[0:11] Government Affairs Committee say Bert

[0:13] Lance must go. Washington gets ready for

[0:16] the signing of the Panama Canal

[0:17] treaties.

[0:19] Also, Hurricane Babe has fizzled out

[0:21] after hitting the Louisiana coast and

[0:23] I'll have a comment on the state of

[0:25] American labor on Labor Day. Harry?

[0:28] The most serious blow yet to Bert

[0:30] Lance's chances of remaining in the

[0:31] Carter administration came late this

[0:33] afternoon. Senators Ribicoff and Percy,

[0:36] the top Democrat and Republican on the

[0:38] Government Affairs Committee, a

[0:39] committee that first recommended Lance's

[0:41] confirmation as budget director, told

[0:43] President Carter they believe Lance

[0:44] should resign. David Garcia has that

[0:47] story.

[0:50] For a committee chairman Abraham

[0:51] Ribicoff, it was a complete turnaround

[0:53] from an earlier statement that Lance had

[0:54] been the victim of a smear campaign.

[0:59] During the course of preparation

[1:03] for the forthcoming hearings on Bert

[1:05] Lance, certain material came to our

[1:09] attention

[1:11] in which there were alleged illegalities

[1:14] in the conduct of Mr. Lance.

[1:17] And as United States senators, we felt

[1:20] it was our duty

[1:22] to bring these alleged illegalities to

[1:26] the attention

[1:27] of the president.

[1:29] Also,

[1:31] we did 2 weeks ago authorize

[1:35] preliminary investigation by our own

[1:38] staff and by selected members of the one

[1:42] member of the permanent investigating

[1:43] subcommittee.

[1:45] We kept intimately in touch with that

[1:47] staff work, part of which was done in

[1:49] Atlanta.

[1:51] As a result of that staff work, I have

[1:53] certainly strongly recommended to the

[1:55] president that Bert Lance resign in his

[1:57] own interest or step aside that he can

[2:00] properly

[2:01] defend himself against the allegations

[2:03] that have been made in the media and

[2:05] certain information that we have now

[2:08] acquired ourselves. Senator Ribicoff,

[2:10] would you agree with Senator resignation

[2:11] is now the wisest course. Uh I think

[2:14] that it would be wiser for Bert Lance to

[2:16] resign.

[2:18] In a brief written response to the new

[2:20] turn of events in the Bert Lance affair,

[2:22] the president simply thanks the senators

[2:24] for holding the hearings quickly so that

[2:26] all the facts can be presented to the

[2:27] American people. Conspicuous in its

[2:29] absence is any mention of presidential

[2:31] support. And it's been learned that some

[2:34] Bert Lance staffers have been calling

[2:36] the White House today asking if Lance

[2:38] will resign tonight.

[2:41] This is Dan Cordtz in Washington. It's

[2:43] hardly possible now for Lance to remain

[2:45] in his job as director of the OMB.

[2:48] Except for the presidency, it's the most

[2:49] demanding job in the administration. OMB

[2:52] is the one agency that cuts across the

[2:54] entire federal government and passes

[2:56] judgment on all the other agencies.

[2:58] The job of the director involves much

[3:00] more than just saying no to money

[3:02] demands and adding up the budget

[3:03] figures. OMB has a lot to say about

[3:06] programs and their management. The

[3:08] director has to have a lot of clout and

[3:10] that depends almost entirely on the

[3:12] president's confidence and the respect

[3:14] of other members of the administration.

[3:16] Up to now, Jimmy Carter has shown every

[3:18] indication of his belief in Lance, but

[3:20] that was before he heard about serious

[3:21] allegations of illegalities from the top

[3:24] members of the committee that must judge

[3:25] Lance.

[3:26] What's more, the OMB is now starting the

[3:28] most important part of its year, 6 weeks

[3:31] of intensive studies of the government's

[3:33] programs and the budget to pay for them.

[3:35] With congressional hearings and new

[3:36] public charges taking up so much of

[3:38] Lance's time and energy, it will be all

[3:40] but impossible for him to have enough

[3:42] left over to do the number two job in

[3:44] the administration. Dan Cordtz, ABC

[3:47] News, Washington.

[3:50] Coming up, Geraldo Rivera on the

[3:52] Panamanians who oppose the Canal

[3:54] treaties. My wife, mother of my

[3:56] children, career woman, she's amazing.

[3:59] You know, on an average day she does

[4:01] more than lots of people do in a week.

[4:03] >> Oh, honey, we both do a lot.

[4:05] As busy as I am, I find the time to do

[4:08] the right things to take care of myself.

[4:10] Like taking Geritol every day. Geritol,

[4:12] to be sure you get enough iron and some

[4:14] very important vitamins. Take a look at

[4:16] what Geritol can do for you. Isn't she

[4:18] something? Oh, come on, enough already.

[4:21] Geritol every day.

[4:24] Thank you for flying with us.