Sue Hartigan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: Bush Backs Clinton on Starr Request > WASHINGTON (AP) -- Making a foray into the Monica > Lewinsky investigation, former President George Bush is > lending his support to the Secret Service's efforts to > keep its agents from having to testify about what they > observed while protecting President Clinton. > > Bush made his position known in a private letter last > week to Secret Service director Lewis C. Merletti. On > Tuesday, the Clinton administration made the letter > part of its sealed court filing seeking to stop > Whitewater prosecutors from questioning Secret Service > agents, sources familiar with the filing said. > > Bush's spokesman said today that the letter simply > reflects the former president's high regard for the > Secret Service. Bush has had protection since he was a > vice presidential candidate in 1980. > > ``President Bush always stands behind the men and women > of the Secret Service,'' spokesman Michael Dannenhauer > said. > > In making the move, Bush is giving a boost to the man > who ousted him from the White House in 1992 and putting > himself at odds with his former solicitor general, > Kenneth Starr, who now is the Whitewater independent > counsel. > > ``That may be the case, but we can't change our > position just because our position is the same as the > White House's,'' Dannenhauer said > > Bush's spokesman declined to release the letter, saying > the former president considered it a private > communication. But excerpts leaked out. > > ``If a president feels that the Secret Service agents > can be called to testify about what they might have > seen or heard, then it is likely that the president > will be uncomfortable having the agents nearby,'' MSNBC > quoted Bush's letter as saying. ``If that confidence > evaporates, the agents denied proximity cannot properly > protect the president.'' > > Former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford have not > expressed an opinion on the Secret Service matter or > written to the agency, said spokeswomen for Carter and > Ford. President Reagan's spokeswoman could not be > reached. > > In the same filing containing Bush's letter, the > Justice Department and Treasury Department lawyers > argued that Starr could be barred from questioning > Secret Service officers about President Clinton's > relationship with Ms. Lewinsky without Clinton himself > making a claim of executive privilege. > > Starr has asserted that Clinton himself must invoke it. > > The departments' argument came in a sealed court brief > opposing Starr's sealed April 3 request that U.S. > District Judge Norma Holloway Johnson compel members of > the White House security detail to answer questions, > said a senior government official who requested > anonymity. > > Talks between Justice, Treasury and Starr were > continuing, said officials knowledgeable about the > case. While no compromise appeared imminent, the court > filing was not seen as any reason to break off > negotiations, they said. > > White House press secretary Mike McCurry said no White > House officials had participated in developing the > policy -- and none had seen the sealed court documents. > > ``The president believes for his sake, and for the sake > of future presidents, that this ought to be dealt with > by the Treasury Department, the Secret Service, and > argued by the Justice Department,'' McCurry told > reporters. ``And we've taken no position whatsoever on > the matter.'' > > Justice officials have said the privilege at least > should preclude Secret Service officers and agents from > testifying about what they see of the president's > movements or what they overhear of his conversations. > > Treasury officials who supervise the Secret Service and > Justice officials have argued that unless agents can be > barred from testifying, future presidents will not > trust them to keep secrets and will not allow them > close enough to provide effective protection. > > Starr is seeking grand jury testimony from uniformed > officers responsible for the security of the White > House complex. He apparently believes they have > information that might shed light on whatever > Clinton-Lewinsky relationship there was, according to a > source with knowledge of the negotiations, who declined > to be publicly identified. > > The officers have no firsthand knowledge about the > relationship, but may have been told something about it > secondhand, this source said. > > In other Whitewater developments: > > --Rep. Henry A. Waxman, the ranking Democrat on the > House Reform and Oversight Committee, criticized > committee chairman Dan Burton, R-Ind., for saying in an > interview with The Indianapolis Star that Clinton was a > ``scumbag.'' Waxman also wrote to Attorney General > Janet Reno complaining that Burton was planning to > release tapes of former associate attorney general > Webster L. Hubbell's prison telephone conversations. > ``The tapes contain extremely personal conversations > that are wholly unrelated to any investigation relevant > to Mr. Hubbell or any other matter,'' Waxman wrote. > > The White House scoffed at Burton's comments. > > ``The American people are weary of vindictive name > calling and the politics of personal destruction. The > president is going to stay focused on the high ground > of ideas and issues that matter to people,'' White > House spokesman Jim Kennedy said. > > Committee spokesman Will Dwyer was quoted today as > saying Burton would not discuss the dispute with Waxman > and said the Hubbell tapes would be released ``in the > course of committee business.'' -- Two rules in life: 1. Don't tell people everything you know. 2. Subscribe/Unsubscribe, email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the body of the message enter: subscribe/unsubscribe law-issues
