Muerte, Muerte, Quiet Contra-ry

Lawrence Walsh, who helped end the first Bush administration while watching most of those he investigated get off scott free, has died at the age of 102. Walsh’s career in public service dates back to serving under New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey before he defeated Truman. He was then appointed by President Eisenhower to a seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and later as Deputy Attorney General. He spent 25 years in the private sector before being brought in as the independent counsel investigating the Reagan Administration’s creative accounting in the Iran-Contra affair. His investigation led to the convictions of both former National Security Advisor John Poindexter and National Security Council member Oliver North, both later reversed. Walsh also indicted former defense secretary Caspar Weinberger on two counts of perjury, one count of obstruction of justice and, on the eve of the 1992 presidential election, on one count of false statements. President George H.W. Bush was mentioned in the indictment, and some have argued that his momentum in closing the gap with Bill Clinton was stopped by the dubiously timed announcement. The indictment was later dismissed and Weinberger was pardoned by President Bush along with most of the other co-conspirators.