Clinton's Lawyer May Seek Sanctions Against Starr Monday

Kendall

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, Feb. 7) -- President Bill Clinton's lawyer says he may seek court-imposed sanctions against independent counsel Kenneth Starr's office as early as Monday, in what seems to be a White House counterattack on Starr's probe into the sex-and-perjury allegations involving Clinton and former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

Clinton's attorney David Kendall publicly accused Starr's office and investigation Friday of being "out of control," and vowed to seek contempt-of-court sanctions. It is illegal to break the secrecy of grand jury proceedings.

Kendall's accusation came after more potentially damaging leaks surfaced from a two-week-old grand jury investigation into whether the president had a sexual relationship with Lewinksy, and whether he urged her to lie about it -- allegations Clinton has strongly denied.

Kendall sent Starr a 15-page letter complaining bitterly about "intolerable" leaks finding their way into the media -- the latest one detailing alleged grand jury testimony from Clinton's private secretary, Betty Currie.

However, Starr immediately fired back at Kendall, saying the accusations were "strange and inappropriate," and that there was "no factual basis" that his office was behind the leaks.

In a letter sent to Kendall Friday night, Starr said, "... you elevate mere suspicion to specific accusations without any facts other than the press's misleading attribution of sources."

Nevertheless, Starr said he had launched an investigation, even though the information leaked was " ... in each case known to individuals outside my office."

Starr

And in an increasingly personal tit-for-tat war of words, Starr bluntly told Kendall: "Your loyalty to your client (Clinton) does not qualify you to lecture me on professional conduct."

Currie's lawyer defends his client

The latest verbal salvos were fired after media reports about Currie's alleged statements to the grand jury.

The secretary is a central figure in Starr's investigation, because she sits just outside the Oval Office, and signed Lewinsky into the White House for many of her visits.

The fierceness of the Kendall-Starr duel appears to be linked to the explosive matter of what Currie is supposed to have told the grand jury.

At issue was a conversation which reportedly took place after the president's sworn testimony in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case. During that testimony, according to some sources, Clinton denied any sexual relationship with Lewinsky.

However, also according to unnamed sources, Clinton then summoned Currie and said he could not recall private meetings with Lewinsky. The president asked Curry if she remembered things the same way.

But CNN has learned that Currie told investigators there were times when the president indeed was alone with the former intern -- although Curie was nearby.

Currie's lawyer Lawrence Weschler said that any suggestion that Clinton had tried to influence Currie's recollection "is absolutely false and a mischaracterization of the facts."

White House administration sources said Clinton had been merely trying to refresh his memory when he met with Currie, and that he had not been trying to orchestrate a cover up.

The New York Times reported that Currie also collected several gifts that the president had given to Lewinsky, and had turned them over to Starr's office.

White House correspondent John King, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Saturday February 7, 1998

• Ginsburg Says Starr's Office Source Of Leaks
• Clinton's Lawyer May Seek Sanctions Against Starr Monday
• Lewinsky Van Rear-Ended By Media Car