WASHINGTON IN BRIEF

Abramoff Probe Switch Urged

Two Senate Democrats called yesterday for the appointment of a special counsel to take over the investigation of the corruption scandal spawned by lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

The switch "would ensure that the investigation and prosecution will proceed without fear or favor and provide the public with full confidence that no one in this country is above the law," Sens. Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.) and Ken Salazar (Colo.) wrote Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales.

The two Democrats said that so far, the public integrity section of the Justice Department, which is in charge of the investigation, has "pursued this case appropriately."

Their call for a change came as the Justice Department announced that Noel L. Hillman, the chief prosecutor in the case, will step down next week because President Bush has nominated him to a federal judgeship, the New York Times reported.

Justice Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said that "there is no legal or ethical reason why the attorney general would need to recuse himself" from the case.

FDA Cites Flaws in Stents

The Food and Drug Administration yesterday sent a warning letter to Boston Scientific Corp., the leading manufacturer of drug-coated stents used in blood vessel surgery, citing it for flaws in its quality-management system.

The agency said that it would not approve new life-sustaining products from the Massachusetts-based firm until the problems are corrected. The FDA also said it would not issue new export licenses for products affected by the quality control problems.

In its letter, the FDA complained that Boston Scientific failed to promptly report to regulators when devices were suspected of causing or contributing to a patient death or serious injury. The FDA also said the company did not report to the government, as required, some of the product recalls that it conducted.

After a bidding war, Boston Scientific has agreed to purchase Guidant Corp., a troubled maker of implantable cardiac devices, for $27 billion. Guidant, the number two maker of defibrillators and pacemakers, is dealing with similar FDA quality sanctions at one of its plants.

Program May Violate Policy

A secret military program that pays Iraqi newspapers to publish information favorable to the U.S. mission appears to violate a 2003 Pentagon directive, according to a newly released declassified document.

The information campaign run by U.S. troops in Baghdad and Lincoln Group, a private contractor, is the subject of a high-level military investigation. Last month, the top U.S. general in Iraq, Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr., said that a preliminary investigation into the program found that it does not violate U.S. law or Pentagon regulations.

A directive on the Pentagon's information operations policy released yesterday, however, appears to prohibit U.S. troops from conducting psychological operations targeting the news media. A Pentagon spokesman did not return calls seeking comment.

-- From News Services