NATION IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Poindexter Appeals Iran-Contra Verdict

Former National Security Adviser John M. Poindexter asked a federal appeals court to overturn his five felony convictions for lying to Congress about the Iran-Contra affair. His attorneys contended that prosecutors had produced insufficient evidence to sustain the convictions. They also argued that prosecutors failed to prove that references to testimony that Poindexter gave to Congress under a limited grant of immunity had not unfairly influenced jurors and witnesses. Poindexter, who served as President Ronald Reagan’s national security adviser from late 1985 until the scandal became public nearly a year later, was sentenced to six months in prison last spring.