Republicans Say Perot Must Prove Charges

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, April 22) -- Republicans are insisting that Texas billionaire Ross Perot provide proof of his charge, reiterated this weekend in an NBC interview, that the GOP had asked him to bankroll a $1-million smear campaign.

"I call on Mr. Perot to come forward with the names of any such people," Republican National Chairman Haley Barbour declared. "This is the second time he has made these claims," Barbour said, adding, "It is past time for him to put up or shut up."

Perot's allegations first surfaced in an interview with The Washington Post last month. Yesterday, he remained sketchy on the specifics. "Haley Barbour was not directly involved," Perot allowed, "but in this case, I would suggest that he do a little bit of due diligence up and down the chain of command."

It's not the first time Perot has made claims about GOP schemes. During his 1992 presidential bid, Perot said Republicans wiretapped his Dallas office and made plans to disrupt his daughter's wedding. Though the FBI later found the accusations unwarranted, Perot justified his withdrawal from the race, in part, on those concerns.

Barbour's perfunctory tone is reflective of a growing impatience, bordering on hostility, with Perot from within the GOP. The Weekly Standard, a conservative magazine, has recently portrayed Perot as dishonest and mentally unstable. While Republicans fear the Texan will damage their presumptive presidential nominee, Sen. Robert Dole (R-Kan.), even some of Perot's supporters have become weary of his cat-and-mouse style.

But Perot has not backed down and insists he has witnesses, whom he'll bring forth at "the right time" to back up his latest charge. "They had plans to just say terrible things about candidates in 1994," he said.

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Republicans Say Perot Must Prove Charges

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