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9/5/98 -- 10:05 PM
Md. governor won't be with Clinton, asks Gore to attend
BALTIMORE (AP) - Maryland's Democratic Gov. Parris Glendening said Saturday it was wrong
for President Clinton to have an affair with Monica Lewinsky, but his campaign manager insisted
that's not why the governor wants Vice President Al Gore at a fund-raiser next month instead of
Clinton.
Peter Hamm denied that the governor, facing a tough re-election battle against a Republican woman
he defeated by only 6,000 votes four years ago, is trying to distance himself from the president. But
he offered no explanation of why he now wants Gore instead of Clinton at the Oct. 2 fund-raiser.
Glendening had announced previously that he wanted Clinton to attend the fund-raiser.
Hamm said Glendening will be unable to appear with Clinton on Tuesday at an elementary school in
Silver Spring, Md., because he wants to keep a longstanding commitment to speak at the Baltimore
County African-American Festival. The White House had been planning a spot on the program for
the governor.
''What the president did was wrong,'' Glendening said in a statement Saturday. ''I have an
18-year-old son, and all my life I've made sure not to send him mixed signals about what personal
responsibility means. And I want my son to be clear about how I feel about this.''
He added that ''this is a very serious time for everyone who loves this country'' and that ''the best
thing we can let the president do, for all of us, is to stay as focused as possible on doing the people's
work.''
He added that he continues to support the president and credits the Clinton administration for the
booming economy.
The Maryland governor's statement came a day after Democratic Sen. Bob Graham of Florida
escalated his criticism of Clinton's relationship with Ms. Lewinsky, calling it ''an irreversible stain'' on
the Clinton presidency.
In a telephone conference call with several Florida reporters Friday, Graham, the state's senior
senator, said the president had ''not sufficiently apologized'' for his behavior and appeared not to
understand ''the degree to which the trust relationship he must have with the American people has
been ripped'' by his actions.
Graham said that it is premature to weigh the likelihood of either impeachment or resignation, but that
Clinton should resign if Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's upcoming report to Congress contains
sufficiently detailed evidence of past deeds that ''rise to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors.''
Graham said he may also call for Clinton to resign if he concludes the president had ''lost the ability
to lead the nation and the world and was incapable of regaining that leadership capability.''
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