Sue Hartigan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: Trooper: Jones Sought Out Clinton > WASHINGTON (AP) -- An Arkansas trooper who is a > co-defendant in the Paula Jones lawsuit testified > that she initiated a meeting with then-Gov. Bill > Clinton in a hotel suite after remarking at a > conference that he was ``good-looking'' and had > ``sexy hair.'' > > Trooper Danny Ferguson, in a deposition in the > Jones case, contradicted Mrs. Jones in describing > how events unfolded before he escorted her to > Clinton's suite on May 8, 1991. > > Mrs. Jones contends that Clinton and Ferguson > conspired to get her to the room, where she said > Clinton made a crude and uninvited sexual advance. > She said she rejected Clinton and eventually was > denied advancement and proper raises in her job at > the Arkansas Industrial Development Commission. > > She also maintains that Ferguson initiated the > encounter by handing her a slip of paper with > Clinton's room number and telling her, ``The > governor would like to meet you.'' The state > worker, who was at the state conference > registration desk, says that if Clinton merely > wanted to meet her, he could have done so in the > hotel lobby. > > In Clinton's Jan. 17 deposition, he said he didn't > recall ever meeting Mrs. Jones, let alone making > an unwanted sexual advance, and has denied doing > anything to stunt her job advancement. > > The credibility of another Clinton accuser, > Kathleen Willey, was challenged by a former > friend, Julie Hiatt Steele. In a sworn affidavit > made public Wednesday, Ms. Steele said Mrs. Willey > asked her to lie about a 1993 incident in which > Mrs. Willey alleged Clinton made an unwelcome > sexual advance. > > Ms. Steele's affidavit said she had never heard of > the 1993 encounter when Mrs. Willey called her in > 1997 and asked her to tell a reporter that Mrs. > Willey had confided the entire episode to her > right after it happened. > > ``Mrs. Willey also asked me to describe her > demeanor at the time as 'upset, humiliated, > disappointed and harassed,''' Ms. Steele said in > the affidavit. > > The House was struggling with what, if anything, > it would do about Clinton allegations now being > investigated by Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr. > > Majority Leader Dick Armey of Texas said that if > Starr refers Clinton allegations to the House, the > Judiciary Committee should handle it, while > Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia has broached the > possibility of establishing a special committee > for the job. > > The Washington Post reported that Gingrich and > Judiciary Chairman Henry Hyde, R-Ill., agreed > Wednesday to have a small group of House members, > primarily from Hyde's committee, conduct the > initial examination of Starr's evidence. > > Two senior House Republican aides, speaking on > condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press > that Gingrich and Hyde were close to an agreement. > > In another development, William Ginsburg, the > lawyer for White House intern Monica Lewinsky, > said he will be more cautious about talking to the > media. ``I've learned a lot and I'm perfectly big > enough to admit mistakes. I think I'm overexposed. > I think I need to back off quite a bit now,'' he > said. > > In the Jones case, Trooper Ferguson said in a Dec. > 10 videotaped deposition that on May 8, 1991, > Clinton had delivered the opening speech at the > government conference in Little Rock's Excelsior > Hotel, then mingled with reporters and > participants and eventually chatted with Mrs. > Jones and another state worker. > > Although the gist of Ferguson's story has been > known previously, his deposition provides the most > detailed account of his version and is his first > sworn testimony on the matter. > > A transcript of Ferguson's deposition was among > 700 pages of material filed by Mrs. Jones late > last Friday in Little Rock -- along with Clinton's > own deposition and one from Mrs. Willey. > > ``They were kind of giggling about the governor's > pants being too short,'' testified Ferguson, who > was Clinton's bodyguard that day. ``And they -- > she (Mrs. Jones) said that she thought he was > good-looking, had sexy hair, wanted me to tell him > that .... That's when she said she'd like to meet > him.'' > > Ferguson said he later escorted her to Clinton's > eighth floor suite and went back downstairs. He > said Mrs. Jones came down about 20 minutes later, > smiling. And, in an oft-quoted phrase in the case, > Ferguson said Mrs. Jones ``asked me if the > governor had any girlfriends. She said that she > would be his girlfriend.'' > > Bill W. Bristow, Ferguson's lawyer, asked the > trooper: ``Would you say she was the instigator of > that meeting?'' > > ``Yes sir,'' Ferguson replied. > > ``Was there any time that you attempted to impose > your will upon hers or to make her go upstairs?'' > Bristow asked. > > ``Absolutely not,'' Ferguson said. > > Separately, the man who succeeded Clinton as > Arkansas governor, Jim Guy Tucker, said Wednesday > in Little Rock that in 1990 he heard state > troopers' allegations that Clinton used them to > arrange sexual trysts. He said they were ``opposed > to Clinton and seemed to have an ax to grind with > him.'' -- Two rules in life: 1. Don't tell people everything you know. 2. Subscribe/Unsubscribe, email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the body of the message enter: subscribe/unsubscribe law-issues
