Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for February 25, 1980
February 24, 1980
February 26, 1980
Transcript:
Roland: Good evening. Today the first major scandal of the '80s swept through the nation's capital like a tidal wave. Roland Hedley was there. The news hit Washington like a bombshell. Congressional investigators had linked Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti to the largest entrapment scandal in U.S. history. Also charged this morning were FBI director William Webster and several federal agents who allegedly ran the entrapment ring out of a posh Washington town house. A team of seven congressmen, working with a U.S. senator, is said to have broken the ring.
For those not in the know they are talking about ABSCAM. It began in 1978 when the FBI set up a fake corporation and used it to offer bribes to members of congress. 1 senator and 6 representatives were convicted. They attempted a defense of entrapment but it didn’t work.