Hillary: Turn Over Those Notes Please

Hillary: Turn Over Those Notes, Please

Wednesday, May 7th 1997 — As much as I hate to say it, the recent decision by the President to appeal to the Supreme Court a lower court's ruling ordering the White House to release attorney's notes of discussions with the First Lady involving Whitewater only serves to fuel suspicions that something is rotten in Denmark.

Last week, the Eighth Circuit Court in St. Louis ruled that attorney-client privilege did not apply to these notes, which related to the long investigation into the Arkansas Whitewater financial affair by independent counsel Kenneth Starr. Starr wanted the notes be made available for a grand jury. The President does not.

Clinton said his lawyers told him that the appeal was a "consitutional imperative" to protect the attorney-client relationship.

Some legal scholars might agree, but this is not the point. The issue, for the average American, has become, "Just what do the Clintons have to hide, anyway?"

A noticeable erosion of media confidence in the White House has taken on epidemic proportions during the past month, and the President's somewhat cavalier attitude, when he ought to be publicly fuming, has fomented unrest among informed voters who seem to be more and more impressed by irate columnists and editorial boards attacking the White House with increasing vigor over campaign finance, Webster Hubbell and potential hush money funnelled him after his resignation from the Justice Department. Added to this is are what seem to be a plethora of mini-scandals including filegate, the President's alleged sexual shenanigans, and travelgate.

Even the New York Times is ever less-supportive of the Clintons, publishing one negative article after another in the midst of dozens of independent op-ed columns of more-than-nasty character

Lest you think I too am joining the pack, keep in mind that I am very aware of the power of well-orchestrated attacks on politicians and know the current siege mentality at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue may have been caused, at least in part, by an effective use of smear tactics by Republicans. But the White House is fueling the fire and ought to rethink its responses to ever-increasing attacks on its credibility.

Simply stated: I am uneasy.