Ack-Ack Over Washington

Also contradicting Jones's testimony before the committee is David Eastis, a retired lieutenant colonel who was second in command of Jones's squadron. "Jones was given a choice of either hanging up his G-suit or facing an FEB," says Eastis, who lives in Coral Gables. "He was told he was never going to fly. He was going to be grounded in that squadron."

Earlier this year New Times obtained a copy of a memo dated August 6, 1991, and titled "Removing Maj. Daryl L. Jones from flying status." In that memo Eastis wrote that Jones's flying performance over the previous 22 months had been substandard, that he "does not take constructive criticism of his flying deficiencies well," that he "refuses to admit that he has made a mistake" and is "quick to blame other sources for his poor performance."

"In summary," Eastis wrote, "Major Jones's lapses in performance and his inability or refusal to recognize same is a formula for disaster. As a squadron supervisor I cannot ignore my obligations to Major Jones, his family, other members of the squadron, and to air force property. Therefore I recommend that Major Jones be removed from flying status with the 93 [tactical fighter squadron] effective immediately."

A short time later Dyches and Connelly met with Jones to say his flying days were over.

Amway
SEN. DIRK KEMPTHORNE (R-ID): The issue is whether or not you had used your position of leadership, of influence, to pressure others to somehow have a business venture with Amway. Can you tell me, of those enlisted personnel who may have been subordinate to you, how many of those used you as a distributor of the Amway products?

JONES: None that I'm aware of.

In his opening statement last week, Jones declared: "I have never knowingly pressured any enlisted person to purchase these products."

"That's a flat lie," charges Tom Massey, a retired air force major who served with Jones in the early Eighties. "I watched him do it. Everyone knew what he was doing." At the time, both he and Jones were air force captains on active duty, stationed at Homestead. "A number of the enlisted men came to me and asked me if I could get Daryl off their backs," says Massey, who now lives in Clemson, South Carolina. "Several of us talked to Daryl about it. We told him that it was a court-martial offense. I was speaking to him officer to officer, captain to captain."

Massey says Jones refused to listen. "He just dismissed it," he recounts. "He gave us the impression that he didn't think the rules applied to him. I couldn't understand what he was doing."

Time may not have improved Jones's judgment. Although selling Amway to enlisted men might seem trivial, the real issue is the inappropriateness of placing subordinates in the position of having to refuse a request by a superior officer.

Last month, while Jones's nomination was stalled in the Senate, a member of his legislative staff, Colleen Sullivan, faxed a memo to various people asking them to send letters of support to members of the Armed Services Committee. New Times obtained a copy of the memo, which suggested several "talking points," including "unwavering support" for Jones's candidacy and the need for the Senate to "act upon this nomination as expeditiously as possible." The memo included Jones's resume and the names, addresses, and phone numbers of all committee members.

Contacted at Jones's South Dade district office, Sullivan declined to discuss the memo, but New Times has learned that copies were distributed to members of Jones's Homestead air reserve unit. According to one source at the air base, personnel in the unit were made to feel they were obligated to write letters of support.

The Bond Deal
SEN. STROM THURMOND (R-SC): Did you violate any federal or State of Florida laws?

JONES: No, Mr. Chairman, to the best of my knowledge I did not. It was certainly not my intention.

Michael Lissack has never met Daryl Jones, but he's hoping to play a role in Jones's future. On Tuesday, June 16, Lissack returned home to his New York City apartment, turned on his computer, and checked that evening's headlines on one of the Internet news services. He soon came across a story about Jones's confirmation hearing, which had taken place earlier that day, and discovered that Jones had been grilled by senators about a Dade County bond deal.

Jones's actions in that deal were first chronicled in a New Times cover story titled "Flying High" (February 26). The story detailed the county's selection of Douglas James Securities as an underwriter to sell $200 million in bonds to help finance expansion at Miami International Airport. The county's professional staff and financial advisers had recommended against using Douglas James, arguing that the small Miami Beach-based company had neither the experience nor the capital to guarantee successful completion of the deal.

To counter these concerns, Craig James, founder of the securities firm, hired Jones to help persuade county commissioners to award the deal to Douglas James. During a New Times interview this past February, Jones admitted he had been retained by James solely to lobby commissioners. "I'm a consultant," Jones declared. "I'm not an employee, I'm a consultant." He repeated the assertion several times.