CLINTON ANXIOUS TO END SCANDAL; PRESIDENT PROMISES TO ANSWER `TRUTHFULLY'.Byline: Steven Thomma Knight Ridder
Knight Ridder (IPA: /ˈrɪdɚ/) was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. Newspapers In his first public comment on a sex and perjury perjury (pûr`jərē), in criminal law, the act of willfully and knowingly stating a falsehood under oath or under affirmation in judicial or administrative proceedings. investigation since he agreed to submit testimony to a federal grand jury, President Clinton said Friday that he will answer questions ``completely and truthfully'' and that he is eager to put the 6-month-old scandal behind him. ``No one wants to get this matter behind us more than I do, except maybe all the rest of the American people An American people may be:
Hours later, Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr
Kenneth Winston Starr (born July 21, 1946) is an American lawyer and former judge who was appointed to the Office of the Independent Counsel to investigate the death of the issued a clear signal that his investigation is reaching a ``critical stage'' by announcing that he plans to take an unpaid leave of absence from his Chicago-based law firm of Kirkland & Ellis. Starr, who has been criticized by Clinton backers for continuing to receive nearly $1 million a year in fees for his private practice while investigating the president, is set to question Clinton at the White House on Aug. 17. He also has secured the testimony of Monica Lewinsky Monica Samille Lewinsky (born July 23, 1973) is an American woman with whom the former United States President Bill Clinton admitted (after initially denying) to having had an "inappropriate relationship"[1] while Lewinsky worked at the White House in 1995 and 1996. , the former White House intern who has told Starr that she and Clinton had a sexual affair. On Friday, Clinton said: ``I am looking forward to the opportunity in the next few days of testifying. I will do so completely and truthfully. I am anxious to do it.'' But he refused to answer any questions shouted at him by reporters. Ever since his initial denial in January, Clinton has steadfastly refused to talk about the allegations that he had a sexual affair with Lewinsky, that he encouraged her to lie about the affair or that he lied about it when asked by lawyers for a former Arkansas employee suing him at the time for sexual harassment sexual harassment, in law, verbal or physical behavior of a sexual nature, aimed at a particular person or group of people, especially in the workplace or in academic or other institutional settings, that is actionable, as in tort or under equal-opportunity statutes. . ``I hope you can understand why I can and should have no further comment on these matters,'' the president said Friday. Clinton appeared relaxed and in good spirits Adv. 1. in good spirits - without losing equilibrium; "she took all his criticism in stride" in stride Friday, even as he faced the prospect of Lewinsky testifying against him and the chance that a dress she surrendered to Starr might hold physical evidence of a sexual encounter that could prove his denials wrong. After finishing a brief statement on the economy - arranged largely so Clinton would have an excuse to make a brief statement on the scandal - he was besieged be·siege tr.v. be·sieged, be·sieg·ing, be·sieg·es 1. To surround with hostile forces. 2. To crowd around; hem in. 3. by questions from a throng of reporters. ``Wait, wait, wait,'' he said, cutting them off. ``Everybody's got a question. Let me give you the answer to all of them.'' He then read his brief statement and went back into the Oval Office before leaving for a weekend on New York's Long Island, where he planned to stay at the home of movie director Steven Spielberg and to raise money for Democrats. En route, Clinton told reporters aboard Air Force One, ``You guys have gotta have fun this weekend.'' Polls showed the American people continue to approve of the job he's doing - 68 percent in an NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. poll, 65 percent in an ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. poll. Starr's decision to take a leave of absence eliminates one of the lingering complaints about his job as independent counsel. His outside interests have attracted critics before. Last year, Starr had been on the verge On the Verge (or The Geography of Yearning) is a play written by Eric Overmyer. It makes extensive use of esoteric language and pop culture references from the late nineteenth century to 1955. of accepting a post at Pepperdine University in Malibu but withdrew from consideration when critics pointed out the job he planned to accept was partially financed by Richard Mellon Scaife, a fierce Clinton critic. Of his decision to take the leave, Starr said: ``Since my appointment, my duties as independent counsel have been my top priority. I have said that I would fulfill my obligations to my private clients, and I have done so. ``At this critical stage of our work, I am taking an unpaid leave of absence from my law firm until I complete my public duties. I look forward to returning to my law firm and the private practice of law when I am able to do so.'' CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO President Clinton tries to silence reporters shouting questions on the Monica Lewinsky case Friday. Pete Souza/Chicago Tribune |
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