Brown says he never solicited or received any money from Vietnam. But money need not have changed hands to violate the Hobbs Act-the most expansive federal corruption statute. The Feds “clearly think they have a case to make,” says a Washington criminal-defense attorney with close ties to the Democrats. He has advised friends in the administration that Brown should be encouraged to take a leave of absence, or quit, to clear his name.
Brown’s attorney told NEWSWEEK that the existence of an account–and he has no knowledge of it–doesn’t implicate his client. “There are any number of reasons why the Vietnamese would open an account in Singapore, wholly unrelated to Ron Brown.” A Justice Department official says the Feds expect to decide next month whether to indict Brown.
