Columnist Settles in Propaganda Case

Armstrong Williams agreed to repay $34,000 of the $186,000 he received for promoting No Child Left Behind. (By Lucian Perkins -- The Washington Post)

Columnist Armstrong Williams has reached a settlement with prosecutors regarding payments he received from the Education Department to promote President Bush's agenda.

Under the agreement, Williams admits no wrongdoing but will have to pay $34,000. The deal was reached last week by Williams, the Education Department and its subcontractor, Ketchum Communications.

"The department is happy to see this matter come to a close," Katherine McLane, a spokeswoman for Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, said Sunday. "One of the first steps Secretary Spellings took when she came to office is to establish guidelines to prevent future occurrences of this type of situation."

A message left at Williams's office was not returned Sunday.

The settlement brings to a close a year-long investigation into the case after reports emerged that the Education Department contracted with several radio, television and print commentators to promote the No Child Left Behind Act.

Lawmakers criticized the contracts as an improper use of taxpayer dollars. Congressional auditors concluded the department engaged in illegal "covert propaganda" by hiring Williams without requiring him to disclose he was paid.

The Justice Department examined whether Williams performed the work that was promised in his $240,000 contract signed in late 2003 and cited in his monthly reports. Williams received a total of $186,000 under that contract, according to a 2005 Government Accountability Office report on the matter. Ultimately, prosecutors determined he was overpaid $34,000.

The settlement was reported in Sunday's Washington Times and by USA Today on its Web site.