Attorney Says Woman Wants No Part In Jones Case
By Tony Clark/CNN
GREENWOOD, Ark. (March 30) -- An attorney for a woman mentioned by Paula
Jones' attorneys as being the alleged victim of a sexual assault involving Bill
Clinton said Monday his client does not want to be part of the Jones case in any way.
Bill Walters, an attorney for the woman, said, "We don't intend to make
any kind of a statement that would admit it or that we deny it, just that we
aren't going to get involved in it."
The allegation -- that Clinton, then Arkansas' state attorney general, sexually assaulted a woman in a hotel during a convention 20 years ago -- is based solely on a 1992 letter containing a second-hand account of the alleged
incident. Phillip David Yoakum, who describes himself as a friend of the
woman, sent the unsigned letter to the woman discussing the alleged incident.
That letter was part of the Jones' legal filing Friday.
When reached by phone Sunday, the alleged victim told CNN, "No comment. I'm not going to verify, not going to deny. Just no comment."
On Monday, Walters told CNN, "Our overall position is that we don't have a
comment on the process ... Our reason for that is, is that this is a very
vicious process. The things that are going on between the Clinton attorneys and
the Paula Jones attorneys have stooped to a very low level. This [allegation], which is an off-the-wall, hearsay letter that somebody wrote -- that we don't
know who this is -- we're not going to respond to. We don't want to get
involved in it. We don't want to have a comment about it. Our client's position, we are not going to give the process the dignity of being involved in any way or shape or form or fashion."
Yoakum claims to have provided copies of recordings he made with the woman
to Sheffield Nelson, a bitter Republican enemy of Clinton. Nelson has
circulated the story on previous occasions.
White House counsel spokesman Jim Kennedy told CNN the motion filed by Jones' attorneys that mentions an alleged accusation of sexual assault
brought against President Clinton is "outrageous and false."
Kennedy said the alleged victim has provided Jones' attorneys with
a sworn deposition stating the incident never happened.
"Moreover," Kennedy said, "[Jones' attorneys] are reporting false
charges that come from long-time political opponents of the president."
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