House Divided Over Clinton Video
By LARRY MARGASAK Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Judiciary Committee members were holding intense discussions in private today over whether to release a potentially embarrassing videotape of President Clinton's grand jury testimony on Aug. 17.
While Republicans favor making it public, Democrats have opposed releasing a tape that would show Clinton's demeanor as he answered questions about his sexual conduct.
White House advisers have been concerned that Republicans could use the tape in political advertisements if it were made public.
Speaker Newt Gingrich told reporters today that when the House finishes legislative business this year, it will not formally adjourn. This would allow the Judiciary Committee to continue its inquiry into Clinton's conduct after the election and also would mean the House could be summoned back if necessary.
Gingrich said he hoped the committee would make a ''truly bipartisan'' decision on whether to proceed with an impeachment inquiry. ''We're still several weeks of hard work away from being able to say anything and I don't want to prejudge anything,'' he said.
Presidential spokesman Mike McCurry said the president's advisers had expected that a transcript of the grand jury testimony would be made available. ''But we expect the House to employ the video in a responsible way so that it doesn't get misused,'' he said.
The grand jury videotape, available so far only to members of the committee, could be critical to any decision to initiate a formal impeachment proceeding. Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr contends Clinton lied during the testimony when he denied perjuring himself Paula Jones' sexual harassment case in January.
In a public display of solidarity by female Democrats in Congress, 26 congresswomen met this morning with first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and later told reporters they were counting on her to help turn attention to other issues.
''With her help in our districts and in the states where members of the Senate are running, we can maintain and indeed increase our representation in the House and the Senate,'' Eleanor Holmes Norton, the House delegate from the District of Columbia, told reporters after the 40-minute meeting. ''We could not be more encouraged.''
Other congresswomen were equally adamant that Democrats can overcome the scandal fallout.
''Frankly there was a sisterhood in that meeting, and the sisterhood said that women know what's right,'' said Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee of Texas. ''We're nurturers, we know how to fix problems and therefore, we're going to be the face of this debate over the next couple of weeks. We're going to be out in the districts telling women that their gut is right ... in supporting this administration, in supporting Democrats.''
Democratic congressional leaders, meanwhile, urged Clinton on Monday to abandon any defense in the Monica Lewinsky case based on a narrow definition of sexual activity.
''The considered judgment of the American people is not going to rise or fall on the fine distinctions of a legal argument but on straight talk and the truth,'' House Democratic leader Dick Gephardt of Missouri said.
''I certainly agree with those who have grown impatient with hairsplitting over legal technicalities,'' Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota said.
The White House issued a statement that appeared to agree with the leaders' assessment, but did not indicate a change in Clinton's defense.
''The president's lawyers have said, and many independent observers agree, that Mr. Starr's allegations would not support a case of perjury in a court of law,'' said James Kennedy, spokesman for the White House counsel's office.
''Nevertheless, the president has made clear that he doesn't want the work of his lawyers to get in the way of his admission that he had an improper relationship and misled people to keep it private. No legalism should obscure the fact that it was wrong. He apologized for it and he has asked for forgiveness.''
The House will make a decision on whether to authorize an impeachment inquiry by the Judiciary Committee after the committee publicly releases more material submitted by Starr. The committee must weigh Starr's evidence and then make a recommendation to the House whether to proceed with an inquiry.
Republicans on the committee have made clear they are likely to recommend the inquiry when the current review ends, but are still studying Starr's report. Democrats are discussing censure as an alternative, but Republicans have displayed little interest in that solution.
Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill., the committee's chairman, told reporters Monday, ''It appears that there's more to come (from Starr) and we would be well served to consider it.'' He said he was basing his comment on a brief section of Starr's report in which the independent counsel noted other portions of his probe remained open.
Starr, who disclosed Monday that the eight-month investigation of Clinton's relationship with Ms. Lewinsky cost at least $4.4 million, has cited 11 possible grounds for impeaching Clinton. The president has mounted a vigorous defense in denying allegations of perjury, obstruction of justice and abuse of power -- all the while accusing Starr of a smear campaign.
Clinton argued in his Aug. 17 grand jury testimony that he did not commit perjury in January because his sexual activity with Ms. Lewinsky did not meet the definition approved by the judge in the Jones lawsuit.
AP-NY-09-15-98 1209EDT |
