PRESS CLIP 718 WEST Sth ST AUSTIN TEXAS 78701 41 7 Herald Denison, Texas FEB 1 1 MO 1 I Bribe Charges 'Sting' Clayton's Future AUti'IN, 'Texas (AP) -- Speaker Bill Clayton prepared today to ap- pear before a federal jury in- vestigating an FBI "sting" operation while two fellow House members carried on campaigns to succeed him. The 51-year-old millionaire West Texas farmer is completing an unprecendented three-term stint as head of the 150-member Texas House and wants to be elected speaker again in 1981. He has said he likely would be a candidate for governor or other statewide office in 1982. Heading the drives to defeat Clayton or to succeed him if he should resign are ItgEs_ John Brant, D-Dallas, a liberal Tea—der, and Clib Lewis, 1)-Fort Worth, a conservative and close associate of Clayton. Clayton acknowledged Saturday that he was given "a stack of $100 bills" as a politcal contribution on Nov. 8 but said he had kept the money in a "safe place" and never intended accepting it. "I have not taken a bribe," he told the news conference in reply to published accounts that alleged he accepted $10,000 from FBI un- dercover agents to favor a firm wanting to sell the state a new employees health insurance contact. "I want to assure you I have not been involved in any wrongdoing. I have accepted no bribes in the past or present and I never will." Clayton met Sunday with about three dozen of his House supporters in an Austin hotel. The group moved from one room to another to avoid reporters. "I would say that the speaker wanted to assure the members of his innocence," Rep. Tim Von Dohlen, D-Goliad, said after the closed door meeting. He said Clayton repeated the statement he made at the Saturday news conference and urged the House members to sup- port him while he fights the allegations. Other high state officers offered Clayton support. "I find it extremely hard to believe there is any foundation to these charges," said Gov. Bill Clements, Texas' first Republican governor in 104 years. "I have confidence in Speaker Clayton and du not believe he would participate in such a thing." Clayton is a Democrat. Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby, .a Democrat, said "it sounds like a perfectly nurmal thing," when told about the meeting between Clayton and two men who said they represented the Prudential Insurance Co. to discuss the employees' coverage. When asked what he thought about Clayton keeping the money for three months, Hobby replied "I don't know about that." Clayton told the news conference he would do "whatever is within my puwer to vindicate myself from this appparent political assassination." Clayton's attorney, Charles Burton, would not let Clayton an- swer questions, but Burton said in answer to a question that Clayton planned to continue his campaign to become speaker for a fourth straight time in 1981. Clayton claimed several months ago he had more than enough pledges from House members to be re-elected. "I have been advised that certain of my political adversaries are already attempting 'to take ad- vantage of these unfounded ac- cusations, but I am confident that my colleagues in the House will withhold judgment until all the facts are in," he said in his Saturday statement. Bryant, who has been a Clayton challenger for several months, said Sunday he had gained enough votes in the past 24 hours for a "con- clusive" win. Bryant said last week, before Clayton's news conference, that he had 62 committments of the 76 need to elect a speaker.