January 22, 1996
Web posted at: 10:15 p.m. EST
From Correspondents Wolf Blitzer and Bob Franken
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The White House is scrambling to deal with the latest Whitewater development -- first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton being subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury in Washington -- the first time a first lady has been ordered to do so.
The subpoena has become a source of deep political concern behind the scenes at the White House, even as officials there continue to belittle the entire probe. The public strategy is to insist that Mr. and Mrs. Clinton have nothing to hide. Wolf Blitzer explains. (213K AIFF sound or 213K WAV sound)
"Those are not problematic issues for the White House," said press secretary Mike McCurry. "The president and the first lady are fully cooperating and fully confident that the truth will prevail."
But the issue is getting increasingly messy, especially after long-missing Rose Law firm billing records were mysteriously discovered upstairs in the White House residence -- two years after they were first subpoenaed by independent counsel Kenneth Starr.
The newly discovered records show the extent of legal work Mrs. Clinton did in the mid-1980s for the now-failed savings and loan owned by the Clintons' Whitewater partner.
During her book tour last week, the first lady denied any wrongdoing.
"There is no substance to these allegations," she said in an interview on CNN. "Eventually people will understand that."
Subpoenaed along with Mrs. Clinton are her personal attorney David Kendall, three of her aides, and a partner in Kendall's law firm.
Mrs. Clinton will be providing answers not only for the grand jury. Earlier Monday, her attorney delivered a letter to the Senate Whitewater committee offering to answer questions in writing. But the committee's majority counsel, Michael Chertoff, said that those questions will wait until he and his fellow Republicans have all the information they need. (289K AIFF sound or 289K WAV sound)
By Senate resolution, the Whitewater committee is supposed to finish its work by February 29. But the Republican chairman, Alfonse D'Amato of New York, has made it official -- he wants more time and money to continue the investigation. He is seeking an additional $600,000 beyond the $900,000 already allotted for the investigation.
Democrats have suggested that D'Amato's intention is to embarrass the president.
"This is politics, pure politics" said Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle.
Daschle also threatened a filibuster to stop any attempt at extending the committee's time.
"I would say that a filibuster is a possibility but not a probability," he said.
What is a probability is that the Whitewater controversy is a long way from being over, as a political investigation as well as a criminal one. Independent counsel Starr could have asked Mrs. Clinton to answer his questions under oath at the White House -- as he has done on three previous occasions.
The fact that he wants her to appear before the grand jury -- with all the symbolism that implies -- worries the White House as the investigation appears headed toward a new level.
![[Imagemap]](/US/images/9601/navbar.gif){kind=small}
Copyright © 1996 Cable News Network, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.