The Nation - News from Oct. 25, 1988

U.S. District Judge Robert Vining ruled in Atlanta that Rep. Pat Swindall (R-Ga.) can put himself on the witness stand while acting as his own attorney. The congressman was indicted a week ago on 10 counts of lying to a federal grand jury investigating his ties to a scheme involving laundered drug money. He was granted an expedited trial in order to have a verdict before the Nov. 8 election. Swindall, a lawyer, is fighting charges he perjured himself 10 times under questioning by a grand jury Feb. 2 about his pursuit of an $850,000 home loan allegedly tied to drug money. Swindall, 38, accepted a loan check for $150,000, but he later returned it.