USA: WHITEWATER PROSECUTOR KENNETH STARR SCANDAL SPEECH
English/Nat
Whitewater prosecutor
Kenneth Starr spoke out on Friday, arguing that in most cases, presidents don't have the right to keep secrets from court proceedings.
Starr spoke to a lawyers' group in
Texas and while he didn't make specific references to his investigation of
President Clinton, he drew parallels with the
Nixon-era Watergate scandal.
In a speech to a Texas bar association,
Independent Counsel Ken Starr drew a comparison between his investigation into President Clinton and that which brought down former president
Richard Nixon.
24 years ago, the
Nixon White House invoked executive privilege to stop prosecutors from listening to tapes made by a secret
Oval Office recording system.
President Nixon's effort was unsuccessful - the
Supreme Court overruled his claim of executive privilege.
And quoting the court, Starr said just like in
1974, the public has a right to know the evidence.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"As the Supreme Court said in the
United States versus
Nixon, a decision that
I'll say more about shortly, the public has a right to every man, we would of course say every man and woman's evidence, for those person's protected by a constitutional statutory or common law privilege."
SUPER CAPTION: Ken Starr,
White House Independent Counsel
President Clinton invoked executive privilege when he blocked some aids from testifying before the grand jury investigation into the Whitewater case.
The investigation is also looking into
Clinton's relationship with
Monica Lewinsky.
The White House insists a president needs to have faith that he can seek confidential advice from his aides without risk of it being disclosed.
But Starr's team argues that privilege should only be allowed in matters of national security - not on personal matters such as the president's relationship with Monica Lewinsky.
Some experts say that both sides have a
point and that the courts must be left to decide.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"
The President certainly has the right to claim privilege the
Independent Council also has the right to say that my need and the
Grand Jury's need for evidence outweighs that claim and ultimately the
Court balances so it's a clear right. clear wrong, each side has something to argue about."
SUPER CAPTION:
Stephen Saltzburg,
Professor of Law,
George Washington University
But quoting the former prosecutor in the
Watergate case, Ken Starr argued that the scandal was evidence enough that no president should ever be above the law.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Watergate had taught the nation two valuable lessons, lessons that are especially appropriate for us to recall on
Law Day.
First Mr. Jaworsky said our constitution works and second he wrote no one, absolutely no one is above the law.
Thank you very much."
SUPER CAPTION: Ken Starr, White House Independent Counsel
The speech brought to a close a busy week for Starr
.
In the last six days alone, he's questioned
First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton under oath.
And on Thursday, he again indicted the first lady's former law partner
Webster Hubbell on tax charges.
This comes just 14 months after he was released from prison on other charges brought by Starr.
But Saltzburg says, despite Starr's attempts at comparing his investigation to Watergate, there really are very few similarities.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"At the moment, we don't have anything as serious being alleged to the extent that the Whitewater land deal in
Arkansas before the president was president is investigated, it's very different.
Perjury in a civil case involving one's sex life is also different."
SUPER CAPTION: Stephen Saltzburg, Professor of Law, George Washington University
Meanwhile, President Clinton is doing all he can do avoid Starr's investigation.
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