continued

HYDE: I would note for the record that the committee sought the permission of Chief Judge Edward Lodge (ph) of the United States District Court for the District of Idaho for Dr. Battalino to be excused from the home detention for her to appear today.

We appreciate Chief Judge Lodge's (ph) cooperation in granting that permission and allowing Dr. Battalino to appear this morning. Dr. Battalino is accompanied by her attorney, Mr. Curtis Clark.

Ms. Parsons, if you have a statement, please feel free to share it with us.

PARSONS: Thank God I can finally say I'm guilty. When you commit perjury, you are the only one that truly knows you've done it. It may take some time for you to get clear with yourself.

Anything that I ever denied about myself was what created a spiraling journey through hell. And that day that I got slapped into recognizing that yes, there are things that you pay consequences for, my life had a chance to turn around.

You know, I enjoyed creating the opportunity to say that I was good at some things in my life. I loved trophies and medals and winning. But to turn around and take a look at the other side of me took more guts than it ever took to win a ball game.

Now I truly know what it's like to be a part of a team, and when that team can't trust you, you've lost it all. And I would rather be who I am today than to have continued coaching with a lie.

I didn't have to come here today, but in fact, some level of destiny, yes, I did, because when you're in a leadership position, no matter what it is you must tell the truth about, you've got to search your soul and recognize what it means if you don't -- no matter what the price.

The legal system was very kind to me. The judge didn't want to send me to jail. The reduction to four months was a blessing. I picked up cigarette butts for four months in Lexington, Kentucky, but I did it every day with a smile on my face to pay back humanity for my ignorance in the seriousness about the law.

I served five years probation. And in 1990, I was released. That's a long time to still be talking about your past. And here it is 1998, and I'm with you, and I can almost not cry anymore.

Yes, after my probation, I started my personal work and I took a look at what created my inability to tell the truth.

In 1996, I went back and apologized to everyone that I could, as I had reached a point that I could start being myself and embrace all parts of me -- that bad girl side, and the good girl side, too.

And today is my final apology before the federal system, to say yes, it is important that we recognize that our whole structure is based on the ability to tell the truth. And my inability to not be able to do it may have been my personal journey about my emotional self and my mental capacities. Incapability to tell the truth is not an excuse. It's your personal journey to get in touch with yourself.

It is not a punishment to serve time. It's a consequence. And there were times that it wasn't easy for a person who had also been on a very enjoyable ride in life in a leadership role to be in the position that I was in. But the character itself is developed when you can look at both sides and be OK about it.

So I came today to say very strongly that from a personal experience level, perjury is one of the most valuable parts of our system. And may we never look over the importance of teaching -- all of us -- as we learn through this experience of ourselves and what has happened around us, that it is important to understand the code of the law.

Thank you.

HYDE: Thank you very much, Ms. Parsons. Dr. Battalino.

BATTALINO: Thank you.

HYDE: Can you pull that mike a little closer please?

BATTALINO: Chairman Hyde, ladies and gentlemen, members of the Judiciary Committee, and my fellow Americans, let me begin by expressing my gratitude to the Judiciary Committee for inviting me here today to share with you some of my thoughts and feelings about the consequences of perjury and related crimes.

I'm neither a historian nor a constitutional scholar. I am an American who worked hard to complete both a medical and law degree, and have practiced in public and government service for over 20 years, until I became a convicted felon in April of 1998. I am presently fulfilling the consequences imposed upon me as a result of this conviction.

I have spent many hours of prayer, a great deal of soul-searching and much mental deliberation in preparing this statement. I believe this is and ever will be one of the most important actions I do in my life.

So many historical hearings, speeches and decisions have occurred in this room. It is with humility, reverence and awe that I sit in this chamber sharing my simple impressions with you today.

Before April 1998, I was, like most of you, watching or listening to these proceedings. That is I was a good, loyal, upstanding United States citizen. I worked, voted, paid my taxes with honesty, and was respected by my profession, church and family.

What changed that? One simple lie, misstatement of fact, one falsehood before a federal magistrate. That's what.

The falsehood centered around my reticence to acknowledge the one act of consensual oral sex which occurred between myself and an unmarried male adult on Veterans Affairs premises. A civil suit was filed, complicated by the male party having secretly recorded phone conversations he and I had during the month an intimate relationship between us developed...

(GAP)

...BATTALINO: I had already made peace with God, but we are societal beings so we must be at peace with our neighbors as well in order to have true and complete restoration and healing. Once this occurs, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness can take on a new dimension.

I pray that I and others experiencing similar conditions will be afforded this blessing.

Unfortunately, sometimes agents of the government also fail to honor the truth. In my case, assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Mitchell stepped over the line when he failed to file the motion for a two-point downward departure from the federal sentencing guidelines, which was part of our plea bargain agreement. Mr. Mitchell crossed the line, and he will in some way, some time pay the consequences.

Because a president is not a king, he or she must abide by the same laws as the rest of us. Whether Mr. Clinton is impeached or not is in the hands of this committee of the House of Representatives and the United States Senate. But even if justice does not prevail, Mr. Clinton's consequences will be reserved for God and history to determine.

We all make mistakes in life, but common frailty does not relieve us from our responsibility to uphold the rule of law. This nation must never let any person or people undermine the rule of law. Without it, atrocities like slavery, genocide, potential nuclear and biological warfare, and oppression are sure to rear their ugly heads once again.

If liberty and justice for all does not reign, we, like great civilizations before us, will surly perish from the face of the Earth.

Thank you.

HYDE: Thank you very much.

Mr. McCollum.

MCCOLLUM: Thank you, Mr Chairman.

Ms. Parsons, am I correct that you were basketball coach at the University of South Carolina when the occasion of this perjury that you were convicted of arose? Am I right about that?

PARSONS: No, I had resigned.

MCCOLLUM: You had resigned at that -- but you had been previously?

PARSONS: I had been previously.

MCCOLLUM: Am I correct that the subject of your perjury was consensual sex?

PARSONS: No.

MCCOLLUM: No? What was the subject of the perjury then?

Please clarify that.

PARSONS: Well, it's really kind of funny. There is a gay bar called "Puss and Boots" in Salt Lake City, Utah. It wasn't easy to say I'd been there.

That occurrence was two years after the things that I was suing "Sports Illustrated" for. It wasn't a pretty picture for me. I thought I had many reasons for why I couldn't -- could say no, but it was an out-and-out lie. I had been there.

MCCOLLUM: And that's what the perjury was about? About whether you had been to that bar or not?

PARSONS: Yes. Now, I went to the FBI about that.

MCCOLLUM: All right.

Let me ask you this question: You mentioned leadership, and you mentioned the fact that it bears a heavy responsibility. And that's the reason I raise the basketball coach question with you. You were in a position, at one time, of leadership?

PARSONS: Absolutely. I was also an athletic director.

MCCOLLUM: There you go.

The president of the United States is the top leader in this country. What kind of a message do you think it sends if we conclude that he committed perjury and do not impeach him and he gets away scot-free? What kind of message would that send considering what you've been through and what ordinary Americans can expect to go through presuming that perjury is found to be the case in a civil case?

PARSONS: Let me give this answer.

(LAUGHTER)

I'm ready. Mixed message. We cannot raise our young people with mixed messages. There are no secrets.

But the discretion of when to tell them things is what maturity is about. But secrecy doesn't cut it when we're raising young children.

Back | Next

Tuesday, December 1, 1998

• House panel expands impeachment probe
• FEC audit says Clinton, Dole campaigns owe taxpayers millions
• Georgia firm fined $1 million for illegal campaign contributions
• Espy trial goes to jury
• Sources: Craig Smith in line to head Gore 2000 campaign
• FCC fairness rule challenged
• Lott, unopposed, re-elected Senate majority leader
• Ashcroft, pondering White House run, stresses pragmatism
• News Analysis: How do you count Americans?
• Arkansas state senator charged in fatal accident
• Tom Hanks says he still supports president
• Indiana congressman robbed
• White House Christmas tree arrives
• Justices' voices to be transmitted

Transcript:
• House Judiciary Committee

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