Juggler's Act: A Prosecutor to Probe Meese

A prosecutor to probe Meese

He's a three-pin juggler, a jogger and, in the view of one federal judge, something of a legal genius. Both on tennis courts and in courts of law, his dress is often unusual: 1930s-style white flannels and sweater at play; bow ties and double-breasted suits at work. He relaxes by reading 19th century literary criticism and listening to pop singers from the 1920s. Long considered one of Washington's best trial Lawyers, Jacob Stein, 59, last week agreed to serve in one of the capital's current hot spots as the special prosecutor selected by a three-judge panel to investigate all charges raised against Presidential Counsellor Edwin Meese, Ronald Reagan's nominee for Attorney General.

Stein has long rated high with his colleagues, who elected him president of the District of Columbia Bar in 1982 (among his qualifications for the honor, Stein whimsically listed his having won a grade-school marble championship). A lifelong Washingtonian, he is one of the capital's wealthiest private attorneys (although he normally takes a bus to the office). Stein, who is so apolitical that he has never registered to vote, successfully defended Attorney Kenneth Parkinson in the Watergate conspiracy trial. But he failed to persuade a different jury that Dwight Chapin, Richard Nixon's appointments secretary, had not lied to a grand jury probing the affair. In criminal cases he has always been with the defense, never a prosecutor. Federal Judge Charles Richey calls Stein "a man of the absolute highest integrity and professionalism," while District Court Judge Barrington Parker praises his ability to "cut through peripheral issues and get to the heart of a legal case."

Stein may spend six months or more probing the allegations against Meese, which center mainly on his having accepted financial favors from friends who later got federal jobs. Another issue arose last week. Since taking office Meese has made 47 trips at the expense of nongovernmental groups, but declared only eight similar trips on his financial disclosure form. The Justice Department has asked Congress for $300,000 for the probe, including a per diem payment for Stein based on an annual $69,600 salary. While Meese's case awaits resolution, Attorney General William French Smith will stay on the job. He had wanted to leave but changed his mind after a 15-minute Oval Office plea, thus sparing Reagan something of a political embarrassment by helping him avoid a prolonged election-year vacancy at the top of the Justice Department.

At his press conference last week, Reagan again defended Meese and lashed out at Democratic charges that his Administration has a "sleaze" problem. "I believe the halls of Government are as sacred as our temples of worship," Reagan declared. "I will be the first to remove anyone in the Administration that does not have the highest integrity. However, I'm not going to take any action that is based on accusation without proof."