Sue Hartigan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: Starr Won't Take Pepperdine Deanship > WASHINGTON (AP) -- Blunting one of his critics' attacks, > Whitewater prosecutor Kenneth Starr has decided not to > accept a deanship at a Pepperdine University public > policy school that received startup money from one of > President Clinton's critics, The Associated Press has > learned. > > Starr was to explain his decision this afternoon at a > news conference in Washington, according to sources > familiar with the Whitewater prosecutor's decision, who > spoke only on condition of anonymity. > > The sources did not immediately give the reasons for > Starr's decision. But word of his change of mind comes > as Democrats, in the wake of Starr's investigation into > the Monica Lewinsky matter, have stepped up attacks > alleging Starr has conflicts of interest. > > The announcement comes 14 months after Starr first > caused an uproar by disclosing he planned to leave Aug. > 1, 1997, as independent counsel to accept a dual > deanship at the university in Malibu, Calif. Starr would > have been the dean for both the university's law school > and a new public policy school. > > Starr quickly reversed his decision, saying it was wrong > for him to leave the investigation before it was > significantly wrapped up. The university agreed to keep > the dean's job open until Starr felt he could safely > leave the broad investigation into President and Mrs. > Clinton's financial dealings. > > Even as late as last week, the university said it was > still holding the job open for Starr. > > A spokeswoman for Starr declined comment today. > University officials were not immediately available for > comment. > > The prosecutor has repeatedly been attacked by > Democratic supporters of the Clintons who allege he has > conflicts of interests. He informed the university > recently that he would no longer accept the dual > deanship. > > Democrat have alleged Starr had a financial and > political conflict because he accepted the deans' job > for Pepperdine's new School of Public Policy. The school > received more than $1 million in startup money two years > ago from the Sarah Scaife Foundation, led by one of > Clinton's chief detractors, publisher Richard Mellon > Scaife. > > The university has said, however, that Scaife had no > role in Starr's selection for the deanship. Starr, a > former solicitor general, has been a visiting professor > at Pepperdine since 1991. > > One of Starr's most active Democratic critics, > Connecticut lawyer Frank Mandanici, asked a federal > appeals court last month to remove Starr from the > investigation because of the alleged conflict. Starr's > office argued Mandanici has no standing to make such a > request. > > Scaife is chairman of the Sarah Scaife Foundation, which > has $238 million in assets, as well as the > Tribune-Review Printing Co. in Greensburg, Pa., just > east of Pittsburgh. > > His organizations have made substantial donations to > several projects critical of Clinton since the > Whitewater controversy erupted, including: > > --The Western Journalism Center, a group that challenged > the government findings that White House deputy counsel > Vince Foster Jr. committed suicide. > > -- The American Spectator, a magazine that has published > articles on Whitewater and Foster's death and first > published interviews with Arkansas troopers that > prompted questions about Paula Jones and sexual > harassment. -- 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
