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March 19, 1999 8:59 AM, EST

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — The Justice Department said it believes James P. Hoffa should be installed as president of the Teamsters union, despite an opponent’s court challenge of his election victory.

In a letter to U.S. District Judge David N. Edelstein, U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White said results of the December election should be certified.

Hoffa defeated Tom Leedham after a campaign finance scandal overturned incumbent Ron Carey’s 1996 re-election and barred him from running again.

Leedham challenged the December results, arguing that Hoffa’s misuse of union funds and tolerance of campaign finance improprieties by members of his slate made him unsuitable for the job.

Judge Edelstein oversees the government’s efforts to rid the Teamsters of corruption under terms of a 1989 consent decree.

The Justice Department letter noted that the court-appointed election officer’s role “is to ensure a fair, honest and open election process, not to pass judgment on a candidate’s character or fitness for office.”