News In Brief

Hatfield maintains neither he nor his wife erred on payment

Antoinette Hatfield said Monday she had received $55,000, not the previously reported $40,000, from a Greek businessman whose dealings with her husband, Sen. Mark O. Hatfield, are under investigation. Mrs. Hatfield, a real estate agent, said she received the money for helping Basil Tsakos and his wife find and furnish a Washington apartment.

At a Portland news conference, Senator Hatfield maintained that neither he nor his wife had done anything illegal.

Meanwhile, two former employees of Mr. Tsakos testified before the Senate Ethics Committee that Mr. Hatfield's version of the story was false, according to a transcript of the sworn testimony obtained by columnist Jack Anderson.