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 | WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY MIKE MCCURRY ON THE WHITEWATER REPORT
JUNE 18, 1996TRANSCRIPT |
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Sunday's Washington Post contained a story based on a leaked copy of the Senate Whitewater committee's majority report, leading to a heated exchange Monday between the White House Press Corps and White House spokesperson Mike McCurry regarding the report's accusations.
Kwame Holman reports on the Republican charges contained in the Whitewater report and the misgivings about the whole investigation detailed in the Senate Democrats' report.
Senators Robert Bennett (R-UT) and Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) debate the accuracy of the report's findings and how much partisan politics played in the Whitewater committee's work.
NewsHour regular political commentors Shields & Gigot put the twin reports in perspective.
Sen. Alfonse D'Amato's statement on the release of the Whitewater report. Sen. D'Amato was chair of the Whitewater committee.
The preface to the Senate Democrats' version of the Whitewater report. Democratic members were highly critical of how the committee conducted their investigation.
MAY 28: Hillary Clinton discusses Whitewater and her role in the White House with Jim Lehrer.
FEB. 22: Deputy Chief of Staff Harold Ickes testifies before the Whitewater committee.
DEC 15: Sen. Alfonse D'Amato and Sen. Paul Sarbanes debates the merits of the Whitewater committee's investigations.
Click here for a complete list of The NewsHour's coverage of WhitewaterPRESS CORPS MEMBER:What do you think of the Senate Whitewater committee's report which makes some pretty harsh allegations against the First Lady and other White House officials and friends of the White House? MIKE McCURRY: Well, you know, technically, it's not even out yet, but it's leaking ad hominem at this point.
PRESS CORPS MEMBER:What do you think of the Senate Whitewater committee's report which makes some pretty harsh allegations against the First Lady and other White House officials and friends of the White House?
MIKE McCURRY: Well, you know, technically, it's not even out yet, but it's leaking ad hominem at this point.
PRESS CORPS MEMBER:Well, what do you think about that? (Laughter.)
MIKE McCURRY: I think that's par for the course. That's the way they do business up there when you're engaged in this type of political vendetta. And that's all this is, because the facts have long been known and there's nothing left except for them to attempt to get further political mileage out of baseless charges.
PRESS CORPS MEMBER: Mike, do you think the committee's submission of questions to Mrs. Clinton was a legitimate attempt to get the truth, or something else?
MIKE McCURRY: I agree with everything Mr. Kendall has said in his letter, which you have by now.
PRESS CORPS MEMBER: Do you know what the President thinks about this?
MIKE McCURRY: He agrees with the letter Mr. Kendall sent.
PRESS CORPS MEMBER: Mike, did Mrs. Clinton or any White House aides in any way try to limit or hinder Whitewater investigations?
MIKE McCURRY: We offered full cooperation, as Mr. Kendall's letter indicates.
PRESS CORPS MEMBER: Mike, does the President not feel any need to come to the First Lady's defense publicly in this -- in these charges back and forth?
MIKE McCURRY: He has, but I think he trusts the American people to see a political vendetta, political campaign, for what it is.
[portion deleted for brevity]
PRESS CORPS MEMBER: Mike, you've talked about the President's response to the Republican Whitewater report, but he's also Mrs. Clinton's husband. As a husband, why isn't he out there today defending his wife against those charges?
MIKE McCURRY: Well, because you have been suckered into reporting selectively a leaked document coming from the President's political opponents. And the President has got a great deal of faith in the American people that they will see that type of political campaign tactic for what it is. It's an unfair charge against her. Now, he has spoken to his support of her, his love of her and his utter confidence that she has told the truth. She has come forward again today and provided additional answers to questions that were submitted at the eleventh hour by this committee.
I mean, Senator D'Amato is, in our opinion, not a very credible or trustworthy presenter of fact when it comes to matters of ethics. So, you know, most Americans, the President believes, see through a political charade when they see one as clear as this one.
PRESS CORPS MEMBER: But, Mike, this report is not just from Senator D'Amato. It's from the entire Majority.
MIKE McCURRY: Well, it's clearly cooked up by Senator D'Amato, who is very active in Senator Dole's campaign and this has been a pattern and a part of their effort to make political advance on these issues and matters that were raised and answered long ago.
PRESS CORPS MEMBER: Really? The question of what happened to those files and why they didn't turn up all that time was answered a long time ago? Really? Well, then who did it?
MIKE McCURRY: That's not what the question was about, Brit, and you know that.
PRESS CORPS MEMBER: Well, is it how the files disappeared from the Rose law firm? I mean, there are several questions involved in this that have not been answered.
MIKE McCURRY: That question is specifically answered yet again in the affidavit that you just got.
PRESS CORPS MEMBER: No, Mike, it's specifically unanswered --
PRESS CORPS MEMBER: It's not.
MIKE McCURRY: It's answered to the best of Mrs. Clinton's ability to provide an answer.
PRESS CORPS MEMBER: That she doesn't know.
MIKE McCURRY: That's right. And neither does the committee. So all the committee -- the Majority is left is doing is speculating and raising innuendo that is designed to impugn her character.
PRESS CORPS MEMBER: Mike, leaving aside the committee majority's conclusion, do the President and First Lady think there are lively, reasonable questions of fact that people --, whatever their partisan politics -- might legitimately have about this ongoing matter? Or are any questions about it, and the providence of these files and the
appearance of them and the disappearance of them, are they all illegitimate political questions? Are there any legitimate questions still on the table?
MIKE McCURRY: Those questions that are unanswerable that everyone would like to have answers to, prosecutors or people working for the independent counsel have examined. They have tried to do so in an atmosphere of fairness and judicial prudence, unlike this committee. This committee has operated, entirely almost, in the political realm and have done their work in a very political fashion. Would the President and the First Lady have preferred there had been answers to all these unanswerable questions so we could get this matter behind us a long time ago? Of course. Any sensible person would have. But that's not possible based on what is known to be a fact at this point.
PRESS CORPS MEMBER: Those are some -- many White House officials have said that Kenneth Starr is also motivated by partisan feelings. You just said that you feel that his prosecution is proceeding in an atmosphere of fairness?
MIKE McCURRY: At times. They certainly -- in comparison to the way this committee has conducted itself, they have attempted to be more fair. Have they always been scrupulously fair? You should ask the lawyers that work closely with the counsel's office their opinion of that now.
Thank you. Well, what do you think about that? (Laughter.)
MIKE McCURRY: I think that's par for the course. That's the way they do business up there when you're engaged in this type of political vendetta. And that's all this is, because the facts have long been known and there's nothing left except for them to attempt to get further political mileage out of baseless charges.
PRESS CORPS MEMBER: Mike, do you think the committee's submission of questions to Mrs. Clinton was a legitimate attempt to get the truth, or something else?
MIKE McCURRY: I agree with everything Mr. Kendall has said in his letter, which you have by now.
PRESS CORPS MEMBER: Do you know what the President thinks about this?
MIKE McCURRY: He agrees with the letter Mr. Kendall sent.
PRESS CORPS MEMBER: Mike, did Mrs. Clinton or any White House aides in any way try to limit or hinder Whitewater investigations?
MIKE McCURRY: We offered full cooperation, as Mr. Kendall's letter indicates.
PRESS CORPS MEMBER: Mike, does the President not feel any need to come to the First Lady's defense publicly in this -- in these charges back and forth?
MIKE McCURRY: He has, but I think he trusts the American people to see a political vendetta, political campaign, for what it is.
[portion deleted for brevity]
PRESS CORPS MEMBER: Mike, you've talked about the President's response to the Republican Whitewater report, but he's also Mrs. Clinton's husband. As a husband, why isn't he out there today defending his wife against those charges?
MIKE McCURRY: Well, because you have been suckered into reporting selectively a leaked document coming from the President's political opponents. And the President has got a great deal of faith in the American people that they will see that type of political campaign tactic for what it is. It's an unfair charge against her. Now, he has spoken to his support of her, his love of her and his utter confidence that she has told the truth. She has come forward again today and provided additional answers to questions that were submitted at the eleventh hour by this committee.
I mean, Senator D'Amato is, in our opinion, not a very credible or trustworthy presenter of fact when it comes to matters of ethics. So, you know, most Americans, the President believes, see through a political charade when they see one as clear as this one.
PRESS CORPS MEMBER: But, Mike, this report is not just from Senator D'Amato. It's from the entire Majority.
MIKE McCURRY: Well, it's clearly cooked up by Senator D'Amato, who is very active in Senator Dole's campaign and this has been a pattern and a part of their effort to make political advance on these issues and matters that were raised and answered long ago.
PRESS CORPS MEMBER: Really? The question of what happened to those files and why they didn't turn up all that time was answered a long time ago? Really? Well, then who did it?
MIKE McCURRY: That's not what the question was about, Brit, and you know that.
PRESS CORPS MEMBER: Well, is it how the files disappeared from the Rose law firm? I mean, there are several questions involved in this that have not been answered.
MIKE McCURRY: That question is specifically answered yet again in the affidavit that you just got.
PRESS CORPS MEMBER: No, Mike, it's specifically unanswered --
PRESS CORPS MEMBER: It's not.
MIKE McCURRY: It's answered to the best of Mrs. Clinton's ability to provide an answer.
PRESS CORPS MEMBER: That she doesn't know.
MIKE McCURRY: That's right. And neither does the committee. So all the committee -- the Majority is left is doing is speculating and raising innuendo that is designed to impugn her character.
PRESS CORPS MEMBER: Mike, leaving aside the committee majority's conclusion, do the President and First Lady think there are lively, reasonable questions of fact that people --, whatever their partisan politics -- might legitimately have about this ongoing matter? Or are any questions about it, and the providence of these files and the appearance of them and the disappearance of them, are they all illegitimate political questions? Are there any legitimate questions still on the table?
MIKE McCURRY: Those questions that are unanswerable that
everyone would like to have answers to, prosecutors or people working for the independent counsel have examined. They have tried to do so in an atmosphere of fairness and judicial prudence, unlike this committee. This committee has operated, entirely almost, in the political realm and have done their work in a very political fashion. Would the President and the First Lady have preferred there had been answers to all these unanswerable questions so we could get this matter behind us a long time ago? Of course. Any sensible person would have. But that's not possible based on what is known to be a fact at this point.
PRESS CORPS MEMBER: Those are some -- many White House officials have said that Kenneth Starr is also motivated by partisan feelings. You just said that you feel that his prosecution is proceeding in an atmosphere of fairness?
MIKE McCURRY: At times. They certainly -- in comparison to the way this committee has conducted itself, they have attempted to be more fair. Have they always been scrupulously fair? You should ask the lawyers that work closely with the counsel's office their opinion of that now.
Thank you.
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