h clinton

Hillary Clinton called on carpet in twin investigations

January 7, 1996
Web posted at: 11:55 p.m. EST

From Correspondent Anthony Collings

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Newly produced documents are raising new questions about first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton's role in two scandals and making it more likely the first lady may be asked to testify before Congress.

The scandals -- Whitewater and Travelgate -- have been a thorn in side of the White House for most of the Clinton administration. And the first lady who has managed to stay out of investigators' spotlight is now standing squarely in it.

"There are conflicts, very real conflicts, with what the first lady has indicated and what these documents can contain. not to mention the fact that they have been withheld," said Sen. Alfonse D'Amato, R-New York, who heads the Senate Whitewater Committee. (111K AIFF sound or 111K WAV sound)

On Whitewater land deals in Arkansas, Mrs. Clinton has said she did only minimal work for Madison Guaranty, the failed savings and loan of her investment partner. But a billing document shows 68 meetings and phone calls.

The White House says nothing in the document shows she didn't tell the truth.

"The records support what the first lady had said all along, that she did less than one hour of legal work a week for a fifteen month period," said White House spokesman Mark Fabiani.

Investigators complain that the White House didn't produce the documents until last week -- two years after prosecutors sought them.

"The most critical documents that show the contacts between Mrs. Clinton and what was going on at that bank were hidden in a box in the residence in the white house," said Michael Chertoff, chief counsel for the Senate Whitewater Committee.

"This was a good faith effort over many months by a lot of people to try to be responsive to a large number of inquiries and documents have been produced as they were found," said Clinton campaign spokesperson Anne Lewis. (102K AIFF sound or 102K WAV sound)

In the separate scandal known as Travelgate -- the 1993 purge of White House travel office employees -- a newly released memo seems to show Hillary Clinton more deeply involved than she had said earlier.

But in an interview with Newsweek and Associated Press Radio she denied having a decisive role.

"I was among the many people who were concerned about reports of financial mismanagement in the travel office, and I did express concerns," she said. "but the decisions about who should do what and when it should be done, those were all made by other people."

House and Senate investigators said they have no immediate plans to subpoena the first lady to testify, but they haven't ruled it out.

Hillary Clinton called on carpet in twin investigations

| CONTENTS | SEARCH | CNN HOME PAGE | MAIN U.S. NEWS PAGE |