- 4AN 2 5 1974 A 16 Fn211)2)2S5t,1974 THE POST Rodin' o -Unit Agrees on Subpoenas By Richard L. Lyons Washington Post Staff Writor Senior members of the House Judiciary Committee put on their first display of bi- partisanship yesterday as they reached agreement on how to obtain information needed for the impechment inquiry of President Nixon. Chairman Peter W. Rodino (D-N.J.) said they agreed that ' the full committee will ask the House for broad subpoena power be shared by Democrats and Republicans. ' . When the committee took !up the subpoena question . three months ago in connec- ,tion with the confirmation of f5fice President Ford, it fell 4nto a partisan squabble. Dem- erets by a straight party vote wave subpoena power to Ro- dino alone. This time Rodino has agreed . that he will share the sub- poena power with the senior ,?Republican on the committee, ' Rep. Edward Hutchinson (R ''Mich). Differences between -them,. however, would be re- solved by the full committee, safely controlled by Demo- crats. Rodino said House Minority leader John J. Rhodes (R- Associated Press - Ariz.) has pledged his support Before agreeing-on how to secure informa- Rodin° (13-N.J.), right, confers with Rep. in passing a subpoena resolu- tion for the impeachment inquiry, House Robert McClory (R-111.), left, and John :lion through the House. So a Judiciary Committee Chairman Peter W. Doer, chief counsel for the inquiry. partisan House fight on that issue may be avoided. committee, and then the Jaworski has advised the Rodino said action by the ings next month to hear from House, decide whether the committee to ask District legal experts on what consti- House giving_ the committee President should be im- Court Chief Judge John J. Sir- *ubpoena power is needed be- peached (indicted) for Water- tutes impeachable offenses— cause the impeachment power ica to authorize •him to turn whether they must be indicta- ls lodged by the Constitution gate or other matters. If the over his information to the ble offenses or not. House voted to impeach, the House committee, or in the al- 'in the House. The House must As to the overall inquiry, "delegate investigative power case. would be sent to the Sen- ternative for the committee to ate for a trial that could lead obtain the information from Rodino's view of its scope ap- to a committee to do the pre- pears to be that the Judiciary liminary work. to his removal from office. the White House by subpoena. Yesterday's meeting prod- Rodino said this latter course Committee will not undertake The House also will be uced no decision on the best would drag out his inquiry to seek out new acts of alleged 'asked in the same resolution procedure for obtaining infor- "until God knows when." wrongdoing by the President, to specifically authorize and but will review his actions mation Watergate Special A second alternative would that are already on the public direct the Judiciary Commit- Prosecutor Leon Jaworski has be for the:committee, once it tee to make the impeachment .compiled on the impeachment record, attempt to fill in any inquiry. Though no question obtains subpoena power, to try factual gaps and then make a has been raised about the issue. But members said there to obtain the information from judgment. appeared a bipartisan effort to Jaworski by subpoena. A third Cpmmittee's power to make work this out with the least possibility, pushed by some The committee also named a he study, Rodino said that strain possible. Republicans, is passage of a public information officer for historically the House has al- Jaworski so far has felt him- law directing Jaworski to turn the impeachment inquiry. He ways passed such a resolution self unable to agree to -turn over material relevant to an is Donald Coppock, retired in impeachment cases. Most of over his files to the commit- impeachment inquiry. The head of the Immigration and them involved federal judges. tee. His problem is the legal House Judiciary Committee Naturalization Service's bor- The subpoena power would requirement of secrecy for in- probably will discuss this is- der patrol. He was hired by 1.)e used to obtain documents formation being presented to sue further at a meeting next Rodinos' for and testimony from the White a grand jury and the problem week. impeachment, John Doar, who llouse or the Watergate spe- of pre-trial publicity on crimi- worked with him a decade ago Rodino said the group also when both were federal offi- cial prosecutor's office or else- nal cases that may soon be go- discussed without decision a where that would help the cials trying to cope with civil ing to trial. proposal to hold public hear- rights problems in the South.