Bennett On the Hotseat
One of
Jones’ recent motions brought to light a letter
Clinton attorney Bob Bennett sent Wright last week urging
her to disregard Lewinsky’s affidavit denying a
sexual relationship with President Clinton.
The letter, which was first
reported Wednesday by ABCNEWS.com, told Wright she
“should not rely on Ms. Lewinsky’s affidavit or
remarks of counsel characterizing that affidavit.”
During the president’s Jan.
17 deposition, Bennett referred to the affidavit as proof
that “there is absolutely no sex of any kind in any
in any manner, shape or form with President
Clinton.” Since that time, both Lewinsky and Clinton
have acknowledged that they had a sexual relationship.
Bennett’s letter to Wright
says it was sent “pursuant to our professional
responsibility.” Clinton critics have accused
Bennett of acting unethically when he relied on
Lewinsky’s affidavit. One lawyer has filed a
complaint asking for legal discipline against Bennett.
Jones
Files to Be Released
By Josh Gerstein
ABCNEWS.com
W
A S H I N G T O N, Oct. 8 —
A federal judge today cleared the way for the public
release of dozens of pages of evidence from Paula
Jones’ sexual harassment lawsuit against President
Clinton.
 Paula Jones
reportedly is at odds with her legal team over
the amount to seek for a settlement. (AP
Photo) |
U.S. District Court Judge Susan Webber
Wright, sitting in Little Rock, Ark., noted that none of
the parties to the case had objected after she indicated
last month that she planned to release the records.
Wright said the documents would be posted directly on the
court’s Web site (www.are.uscourts.gov), beginning
on Oct. 19.
One key piece of evidence in the
case, the videotape of the president’s Jan. 17
deposition, will remain under seal, at least for now.
The judge has said it would be
inappropriate for her to release that videotape to the
public, although she did send a copy to the House
Judiciary Committee at its request. “This court did
not place any restrictions on the Judiciary
Committee’s utilization of the videotape in its
impeachment inquiry and it does not do so today,”
Wright wrote today.
The judge also indicated that
she would not permit the release of records about the
so-called Jane Does, women like Monica Lewinsky who were
drawn into the Jones case as possible witnesses.
Wright also said she reserved
the right to withhold information that could affect
Clinton’s right to a fair trial, should one take
place.
Jones Struggles With
Settlement
Meanwhile, Jones, her husband and her lawyers continue to
struggle with how to respond to an offer from President
Clinton’s lawyers to drop the suit in exchange for a
$700,000 payment.
A source close to Jones tells
ABCNEWS Correspondent Jackie Judd that relations between
Jones and her attorneys have grown “very
strained.”
Her lawyers recently demanded $1
million to settle the case. But now it appears Jones and
her husband, Steven, may want more than $1 million to
withdraw the suit.
Despite the settlement talk,
Jones’ legal team recently asked U.S. Court of
Appeals for the 8th Circuit to make Independent Counsel
Kenneth Starr’s report on the president’s
relationship with Lewinsky and his alleged attempts to
cover up the affair part of the record.
Jones’s lawsuit alleged
that in 1991, while he was governor of Arkansas and she
was a state employee, Clinton made a crude request for
oral sex. Jones claimed she suffered in her job because
she rejected the proposition. Wright threw out the suit
last April, saying the alleged behavior, even if true,
did not amount to sexual harassment and that Jones had
failed to show any damage to her career.
Jones appealed and a three-judge
panel scheduled oral arguments on her appeal for Oct. 20
in St. Paul, Minn. In a related development, eccentric
New York businessman Abe Hirschfeld held a news
conference in Washington today to discuss his offer to
give Jones $1 million to drop her case. Hirschfeld said
he would be willing to combine his money with funds from
the president to offer a larger payment to Jones. 
