In January, U.S. District Judge Harold Baer Jr. of Manhattan threw out as evidence 80 pounds of cocaine that cops had seized from the trunk of a car. He ruled police weren’t justified in pulling over the driver when they saw four men approach the car and leave several bags. Baer’s decision was excoriated by New York’s mayor and governor. Then, in early March, Newt Gingrich and other House members wrote Clinton to ask Baer to resign.
Last week Clinton’s press secretary suggested that if Baer didn’t reverse his ruling, the president might ask him to quit. Appointed by Clinton for life, Baer could safely refuse, but the message wasn’t really aimed at him anyway. Clinton wants to head off Bob Dole from making mollycoddling judges a campaign issue. But attempting to intimidate Baer–which the White House denies– may backfire. If the judge changes his mind, the defense will surely appeal, crying interference. Or if Baer is piqued he can dismiss the charges. That’s a high price to pay for a campaign spot.
