-Caveat Lector-
Clinton Found in Contempt
Judge Raps President for Deposition in Jones Case
President Clinton reaches into a crowd of military personnel
after his address at Barksdale Air Force Base. Hours later, a federal judge
found Clinton in contempt of court over his testimony in the Paula Jones
case. (Bill Haber/AP Photo)
ABCNEWS.com
W A S H I N G T O N, April 12 — The Paula Jones sexual harassment case
returned to haunt President Clinton today when a federal judge found him in
contempt of court for lying under oath about Monica Lewinsky.
Judge Susan Webber Wright ruled the president in contempt for
“willful failure” to obey her repeated orders to testify truthfully.
“The record demonstrates by clear and convincing evidence that
the president responded to plaintiffs’ questions by giving false, misleading
and evasive answers that were designed to obstruct the judicial process.”
In the civil contempt finding, Judge Susan Webber Wright ruled
Clinton will have to cover at least some of Jones’ legal costs.
The contempt issue was first raised last September, when Wright
aired her “concerns” about Clinton’s deposition in the Jones case, during
which he denied having had a sexual relationship with Lewinsky.
In the deposition, Clinton said flatly, “I have never had sexual
relations with Monica Lewinsky.”
Wright wrote in her ruling that, “It is difficult to construe the
president’s sworn statements ... as anything other than a willful refusal to
obey this court’s discovery orders.”
“Simply put, the president’s deposition testimony regarding
whether he had ever been alone with Ms. Lewinsky was intentionally false and
his statements regarding whether he had ever engaged in sexual relations
with Ms. Lewinsky likewise were intentionally false.”
Consideration of the contempt issue was put off during Clinton’s
impeachment trial, which also centered around the president’s handling of
the Lewinsky affair. But shortly after the Senate acquitted Clinton, Wright
hinted in the footnote of another ruling that she would take steps “to
preserve the integrity of the Court’s proceedings and provide a means of
enforcement of its orders.”
Wright, one of Clinton’s former law students, tossed Jones’ suit
out of court last April. Jones appealed the ruling, but agreed to settle
after Clinton offered to pay $850,000.
Jones alleged that, while she worked as an Arkansas state
employee in 1991, then-Gov. Clinton dropped his pants and asked her to
perform oral sex upon him in a Little Rock hotel room. Clinton denied the
accusations and has attacked the case as politically motivated.
Ironically, it was the defunct Jones case that first uncovered
Clinton’s relationship with Lewinsky and led later to his impeachment.
White House producer Josh Gerstein contributed to this report.
NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107,
this material is distributed without profit to those who
have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included
information for research and educational purposes. For
more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
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