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Politics : Clinton -- doomed & wagging, Japan collapses, Y2K bug, etc -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: GROUND ZERO™ who wrote (89)	9/4/1998 10:55:00 PM
From: SOROS	Respond to of 1151

Report's Sweeping Charges Starr preparing detailed, graphic account on Clinton By William Douglas Washington Bureau Washington -- Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr is preparing to submit to the House a report laden with sweeping allegations against President Bill Clinton, including charges of abuse of power, perjury, obstruction of justice and witness tampering, sources close to the prosecutor said. Starr is taking a "kitchen sink" approach to the long-awaited report to the House, outlining a variety of crimes by Clinton that stem from his 18-month relationship with a former White House intern. The report is still being drafted and could be shipped to the House within weeks. It also is expected to include graphic and potentially embarrassing details of Clinton's sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky, including specifics about a half-dozen sex acts. Prosecutors are preparing to argue that the acts meet the definition of sex as outlined by U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright, the federal judge who presided over Clinton's deposition in the separate Paula Jones sexual harassment civil suit against the president. Lewinsky provided some of the graphic detail about the sex acts during an unusual two-hour session Aug. 26 in which Lewinsky gave sworn testimony in Starr's downtown office, not before the grand jury. In deference to Lewinsky and the explicit nature of her testimony, all the prosecutors, defense lawyers and stenographers in the room during the session were women. Among the allegations Starr's team is now contemplating including in its report are that Clinton perjured himself in denying a sexual relationship with Lewinsky in the now-dismissed Jones civil suit; obstructed justice by seeking the return of gifts he and Lewinsky exchanged and by helping her find a job; and abused the power of the Oval Office by rallying the institutional powers of the presidency to delay Starr's investigation, sources said. Jim Kennedy, a spokesman for the White House Counsel's Office, declined to comment. "We're not going to be in a position of commenting on something that does not yet exist," he said. In sworn depositions in the Jones case, Clinton and Lewinsky both denied a sexual relationship. With an immunity deal from Starr, Lewinsky later admitted to having had a sexual relationship with Clinton. On Aug. 17, Clinton testified voluntarily via closed-circuit television and changed his story, admitting to an inappropriate relationship with Lewinsky. Later that night, Clinton addressed the nation and maintained that his answer in the Jones case was "legally accurate." In that case, Judge Wright had established a definition of sexual relations that included "contact with genitalia, anus, groin, breast, inner thigh or buttocks of any person with the intent to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person." Lewinsky's sworn testimony Aug. 26 provided specifics of sex acts to allow prosecutors to try to prove Clinton committed perjury. Starr's office is preparing to brand as abuse of power Clinton's robust legal challenges of Starr's requests for evidence and testimony, including assertions of executive privilege and a protective privilege function, to shield his aides, Secret Service agents and White House lawyers from testifying. In the report, Starr's prosecutors also are weighing allegations of witness tampering, apparently stemming from Clinton's alleged efforts to coach Betty Currie, his private secretary, about her recollections concerning Lewinsky. On Jan. 18, a Sunday, when Clinton sometimes works in the Oval Office but Currie rarely does, Clinton summoned Currie to work to review his testimony and reportedly asked her several questions about his relationship with Lewinsky, including whether he had ever been alone with the intern. The meeting came the day after Clinton gave the deposition in the Jones case. White House officials and lawmakers are nervously awaiting Starr's report. Some of Clinton's advisers expect the report to focus narrowly on the Lewinsky matter, and they do not believe Clinton's behavior in it constitutes impeachable offenses. But lawmakers, particularly Democrats, are worried that the details in the report could hamper Clinton's ability to lead the country and could be used as an issue against Democrats in upcoming midterm elections. The anxiety over the report escalated yesterday when Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), a frequent Clinton ally, assailed the president for "disgraceful behavior." Despite requests by White House officials and Democratic leaders for him to hold his remarks until Clinton returned from Europe, Lieberman took to the Senate floor yesterday and professed his anger at the president. "It is hard to ignore the impact of the misconduct the president has admitted to on our culture, on our character, and on our children," Lieberman said in a 25-minute address. "In this case, the president apparently had an extramarital relationship with an employee half his age . . . This is not just inappropriate. It is immoral."

To: GROUND ZERO™ who wrote (89)	9/4/1998 10:57:00 PM
From: SOROS	Respond to of 1151

DRUDGE REPORT By Matt Drudge Thu Sep 03 19:30:59 1998 STARR DEPUTY: PROBE IS OF 'CONSTITUTIONAL AND HISTORIC IMPORTANCE' Court Papers Reveal Tripp Key Witness in Travelgate, FBI Files In unsealed court papers, a deputy in the Office of Independent Counsel declares that the investigation of alleged White House wrongdoing is of "constitutional and historic importance" that reaches "to the highest level of the federal government." And in a stunning twist, Independent counsel Kenneth Starr's investigation of "Filegate" and "Travelgate" -- thought to be dormant -- are continuing and "in extremely sensitive stages," according to his deputy, Robert Bittman. "These investigations are factually and legally complex and they involve issues of singular and historic importance," Bittman wrote in court papers obtained by the WASHINGTON TIMES. TIMES reporter Bill Sammon is first to break the development. Bittman's court arguments helped persuade a federal judge to postpone Friday's scheduled deposition of FBIFILESTRAVELOFFICEMONICALEWINSKY witness Linda Tripp, which had been requested by JUDICIAL WATCH. "Premature disclosure could affect the testimony of witnesses, and it could affect the behavior of targets" in several broad criminal investigations, Bittman pleaded. Sammon reports: "When Judicial Watch first tried to subpoena Mrs. Tripp two weeks ago, the process server was turned away at Mrs. Tripp's Columbia, Maryland home by Starr representatives." A second subpoena was accepted by Tripp's lawyer. Judicial Watch chairman Larry Klayman was set to videotape Tripp in a discovery session for a lawsuit brought by victims of the FBI files episode. Starr moved to block the testimony of his key witness, as Tripp's lawyer, Anthony Zaccagnini, moved to ban the video camera. "Mr. Zaccagnini stated a likely concern of Ms. Tripp in being videotaped was that it would reduce her marketability to sell her story for television appearances," Klayman argued in a affidavit. "Eventually, Mr. Zaccagnini decided it was not in his clients interest to be exposed after all and asked to excuse her," reports Sammon. X X X X X "President Clinton is the subject of a new Justice Department probe to determine whether an independent counsel should investigate allegations that he personally violated campaign spending laws during his 1996 re-election effort," the WASHINGTON POST reported in late Thursday editions. The president's private attorney David Kendall met with top Justice Department officials Wednesday in an effort to convince them that no further investigation was justified, says the paper. "What specific information triggered the new inquiry could not be determined Wednesday night, but officials familiar with the matter said that it arrived at the Justice Department three weeks ago and prompted a fresh review of Clinton's role in orchestrating the DNC's advertising efforts."

To: GROUND ZERO™ who wrote (89)	9/5/1998 11:25:00 AM
From: SOROS	Respond to of 1151

Washington Times - 09/05/98 By Bill Sammon THE WASHINGTON TIMES ndependent counsel Kenneth W. Starr's investigations of "Filegate" and "Travelgate," which some observers had thought were dormant, "are continuing and in extremely sensitive stages," according to his deputy, Robert Bittman. Mr. Starr's office and the grand jury "are deeply involved in several broad criminal investigations which reach to the highest level of the federal government," Mr. Bittman wrote in federal court papers that were unsealed Thursday. "These investigations are factually and legally complex and they involve issues of singular constitutional and historic importance." Mr. Bittman's arguments helped persuade a federal judge to postpone Friday's scheduled deposition of -- Continued from Front Page -- Linda R. Tripp, who Mr. Bittman said is a key witness in the Filegate, Travelgate and Monica Lewinsky probes. He said the "late stage" of the probes makes it especially important to delay the deposition, which is sought by Judicial Watch, a legal foundation suing the Clinton administration for improperly obtaining secret FBI background files on hundreds of Bush and Reagan administration appointees. "Premature disclosure could affect the testimony of witnesses, and it could affect the behavior of targets," Mr. Bittman wrote. "Furthermore, because of the attention the press and the Congress have given these investigations, premature disclosure could threaten the orderly operation of the federal government." U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth said he temporarily stayed the deposition after Mr. Starr submitted "certain grand jury information to the court" at noon Thursday. He has not yet decided whether to delay the deposition until after Mr. Starr completes his probes. Judicial Watch Chairman Larry Klayman wants to question Mrs. Tripp, who once worked in the Clinton White House, because she reportedly saw fellow employees copying FBI files onto White House computers. Mrs. Tripp, appointed during the Bush administration, was one of about 1,000 people whose FBI files were obtained by Clinton officials. Mr. Klayman objected to Mr. Starr's attempt to block the deposition. He noted that Mr. Starr subpoenaed other Judicial Watch depositions -- including those of Pentagon officials who leaked information from Mrs. Tripp's personnel file -- but is not willing to allow his own witnesses to be questioned by Judicial Watch. When Judicial Watch first tried to subpoena Mrs. Tripp two weeks ago, the process server was turned away at Mrs. Tripp's Columbia, Md., home by Starr representatives. In a second attempt, the subpoena was accepted by Mrs. Tripp's attorney, Anthony Zaccagnini. Mr. Zaccagnini agreed to allow his client to answer questions about Filegate, but not the Lewinsky case. Mrs. Tripp triggered that case by secretly tape-recording Miss Lewinsky's account of her affair with President Clinton, then giving those tapes to Mr. Starr. In recent days, Mr. Zaccagnini informed Mr. Klayman that Mrs. Tripp did not want her deposition to be videotaped. Mr. Klayman, who routinely videotapes all his depositions and publicly discloses the tapes and transcripts, refused to grant the concession. "Mr. Zaccagnini stated a likely concern of Ms. Tripp in being videotaped was that it would reduce her marketability to sell her story for television appearances," Mr. Klayman said in an affidavit. Eventually, Mr. Zaccagnini decided it was not in his client's interest to be deposed after all and asked to excuse her. The Department of Justice also asked Judge Lamberth to seal any Judicial Watch deposition of Mrs. Tripp so that it would not be shown on TV or the Internet. It also argued that questioning of Mrs. Tripp by Mr. Klayman should be limited to three hours -- instead of the customary six -- with the remaining three hours going to attorneys for "defendants," including Mr. Clinton, to cross-examine Mrs. Tripp. Another target of Mr. Starr's probe is Hillary Rodham Clinton, who opposed Mr. Starr's motion to stay Mrs. Tripp's deposition, according to court papers filed by her attorney, David E. Kendall. Mr. Kendall also argued that the deposition should not be sealed.