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Former FBI agent: Clinton appointees used drugs up to Inauguration
August 4, 1996Web posted at: 3:50 p.m. EDT
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former FBI agent Dennis Sculimbrene has told Congressional investigators that appointees to the Clinton administration had used illegal drugs as late as Inauguration Day of 1993.
His comments came in a deposition delivered July 15 and released this past week by Rep. William Clinger, R- Pennsylvania, whose committee is investigating the case of FBI files obtained by the White House. Sculimbrene was asked if there were things in the backgrounds of appointees that were more serious than traffic violations.
"Much worse, yes, at least in my eyes very much worse, if you want to consider using illegal drugs repetitively," he said.
Sculimbrene was one of the FBI agents assigned to the White House to investigate the background of appointees. When he was asked whether it was "just younger generation kids who might have smoked marijuana back in college?" he responded: "It was older people who had used drugs much more recently -- as recently as the Inaugural."
The allegation was repeated by House Speaker Newt Gingrich,
R-Georgia, on "Fox News Sunday." White House Chief of Staff
Leon Panetta accused Gingrich of "shooting from the hip" and
said, "The reality is that at the White House we require drug
testing of everyone who is hired... he or she has to be
drug-free. We have a zero-tolerance requirement in terms of
hiring." (318K AIFF or WAV sound)
Allegations of drug use by members of the Clinton administration have surfaced before. Last month, the White House acknowledged that some of its staff members are subject to frequent testing because of drug use before they were appointed. The administration says no official has ever tested positive.
Related story:
- White House employees have drug history- July 15, 1996
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