Dukakis Says He Would Pursue Prosecutions in Iran Arms Deal

DAVENPORT, Iowa — Democratic presidential candidate Michael S. Dukakis pledged Friday that, if elected, he will prosecute anyone found to have engaged in illegal activity in the Iran-Contra scandal.

“The whole thing is just shot through with lawlessness . . . and, I might add, with stupidity,” the Massachusetts governor said during a campaign appearance before a Democratic candidates’ debate in Des Moines.

“All I can tell you is that if Mike Dukakis is President of the United States, any information which indicates further illegality, further lawbreaking, further criminal activity will be investigated thoroughly, and, if there’s evidence, we’ll prosecute,” he said.

Investigation Under Way

An independent counsel currently is gathering information on the arms sales to Iran.

During an hourlong appearance on a Davenport radio call-in show, Dukakis was critical of Vice President George Bush’s role in the scandal.

“The whole thing was illegal,” Dukakis said. “Everything about it was illegal--the swapping of arms for hostages (and) the failure to inform Congress was not only illegal, it was stupid. How could people of rational mind and sound intelligence ever believe that it made sense to swap arms for hostages?

“As a matter of fact, that was done shortly after Vice President Bush was chairman of a very good task force on terrorism that issued a very good report that said you never make concessions to terrorism, and I agree you never make concessions to terrorism.

“And he sat there at the table along with a lot of other people and approved this, or at least went along with it,” Dukakis said.