Clinton Answers 81 House Questions
Asserts Testimony 'Was Not False and Misleading'

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (Nov. 27) - President Clinton wrote the House Judiciary Committee on Friday that his testimony in the Monica Lewinsky affair was ''not false and misleading,'' yet he failed to recall many of the significant events in the controversy that threatens his presidency.

Answering 81 questions put to him by Chairman Henry Hyde three weeks ago, Clinton revealed little information to help the committee decide whether he committed perjury, obstruction of justice or abused his power. Clinton denied wrongdoing on all those counts.

Hyde, R-Ill., issued a terse statement: ''The committee will now carefully review those responses.''

Clinton preceded his responses with a personal statement, asking for a ''speedy and fair resolution'' to the matter, which he said ''long ago ceased to be primarily a legal or political issue and became instead a painful personal one.''

Still, Clinton said he would mount an active legal defense. His 24-page response is laced with the phrase ''that testimony was not false and misleading.'' In at least 17 instances Clinton said he does not recall or is uncertain of an answer.

''I never told (Oval Office secretary) Betty Currie to take possession of gifts I had given Ms. Lewinsky,'' Clinton said in response to one of the main allegations. He also insisted, ''I did not tell Ms. Lewinsky to lie, and I did not tell anybody to lie about my relationship with Ms. Lewinsky.''

The committee is planning to consider articles of impeachment the week of Dec. 7. The following week, the full House could vote on impeachment, censure or both.

A senior Republican committee official, who asked not to be identified, said Friday the staff is working on draft language for three impeachment resolutions. Any final language would be written by lawmakers after a presentation by Clinton's side. The president or his attorney were invited to appear Dec. 8 or shortly after.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the drafting process has begun because Clinton had not yet rebutted grand jury evidence submitted by Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr, and because the committee's 21 Republicans have shown no support for the alternative of censure.

Hyde, commenting on the answers, said, ''While these responses have been received by the committee in executive session, the White House has indicated that it has released them to the media. This will allow the committee members to comment publicly on the document.''

Clinton's lawyer, David Kendall, wrote Hyde separately, emphasizing ''the president did not commit or suborn perjury, tamper with witnesses, obstruct justice or abuse power.''

Clinton was only vaguely able to remember important conversations with Ms. Lewinsky as they tried to conceal their relationship; discussions with friend Vernon Jordan on finding the former intern a job; and his talks with Mrs. Curry.

Clinton said his legal defense ''cannot obscure the hard truth, as I have said repeatedly, that my conduct was wrong.''

But the president insisted he told the truth in the Paula Jones case in January and in grand jury testimony in August. ''That testimony was not false and misleading,'' he said.

Rep. Bob Barr, R-Ga., a Judiciary Committee member, accused Clinton of ''using tortured legal reasoning and convenient memory lapses'' while offering ''no exculpatory evidence'' to counter the charges against him.

''It is deeply disturbing that the president still refuses to admit what everyone knows: that he lied to the American people, lied to a federal court, lied to a grand jury, and used his official power in a massive effort to subvert the judicial system,'' said Barr, who was among the first lawmakers to call for Clinton's impeachment.

Rep. Martin Meehan, D-Mass., a committee member, called the question and answer exercise ''pointless,'' contending that ''absolutely no one - not the Republicans, the Democrats and certainly not the public - expected him to change his story.''

Meehan called the 81 questions a ''very public, very political'' attempt to ignite what has been lackluster public support for impeachment.

Rep. Asa Hutchinson, R-Ark., another committee member, said the president's answers didn't resolve conflicting testimony from the president and Lewinsky. He said he was disappointed that many of Clinton's answers ''simply refer back to the original testimony in the Paula Jones case and in the grand jury.''

Providing one new piece of information, Clinton acknowledged that political consultant Dick Morris volunteered to conduct a poll after news of the Lewinsky matter burst into public view.

''What I recall is that he said the public was most concerned about obstruction of justice or subornation of perjury,'' Clinton testified. But he said he did not recall a comment Morris attributed to him: ''Well, we just have to win then.''

Specifically, Clinton wrote:

- ''I do not remember exactly what I said'' to Mrs. Currie the day after his deposition in the Jones case. Currie testified that Clinton made statements like, ''You were always there when (Lewinsky) was there, right?'' Prosecutors contend that Clinton was coaching Mrs. Currie, who later became a grand jury witness.

- He couldn't recall receiving a letter from Ms. Lewinsky in which she complained that her New York job search wasn't going well. She turned a copy of the letter over to prosecutors.

- He couldn't remember whether he spoke to Ms. Lewinsky about her affidavit in the Jones case that denied a sexual relationship. The committee wanted to know whether the president suggested to her that submitting an affidavit might prevent her from having to testify.

- As to whether he saw Ms. Lewinsky's affidavit prior to his deposition in the Jones case, Clinton said, ''I don't believe I saw this affidavit before my deposition, although I cannot be absolutely sure.''

While Hyde's questions often began with the phrase, ''Do you admit or deny,'' Clinton usually ignored the ''yes'' or ''no'' format and referred to past testimony, Starr's report, or White House phone records.

But when asked whether he had discussed his public denial of an affair with Hollywood producer Harry Thomason, a longtime friend, Clinton replied: ''Mr. Thomason was a guest at the White House in January 1998, and I recall his encouraging me to state my denial forcefully.''

Clinton contended he did not give ''false and misleading'' testimony when he said he only received gifts from Ms. Lewinsky ''once or twice.'' In fact, the two had exchanged numerous gifts.

Clinton said the answer reflected his original recollection, but insisted he was later more responsive after ''a chance to search my memory... .'' Then he added, ''there might still be gifts from Ms. Lewinsky that I have not identified.''

Several Republican lawmakers have made clear in their public statements that they believe, based on what the evidence shows so far, that Clinton has committed impeachable offenses. A Democratic committee member, William Delahunt of Massachusetts, has said he would introduce a censure resolution in committee.

The GOP official described the three potential articles of impeachment this way:

-Accusations that Clinton committed perjury in his Jan. 17 deposition in the Paula Jones case, when he denied any sexual relationship with Ms. Lewinsky; in written responses in the Jones case, when the president denied sex with any federal employee; and in his Aug. 17 grand jury testimony, when he denied committing perjury in the Jones deposition.

-An article alleging obstruction of justice, focusing on a number of matters. One would be Clinton's denying the relationship to his aides, knowing they would take the false story to the grand jury and the public.

The article also could refer to steps taken to obstruct Starr's investigation through measures to conceal gifts exchanged by the president and Ms. Lewinsky; attempts to shape the testimony of Ms. Lewinsky and his secretary, Betty Currie, to hide the affair; efforts along with presidential friend Vernon Jordan to get Ms. Lewinsky a job in New York while she was pursued as a witness by the Jones lawyers.

-An abuse of power article that may be based on using the office of the president to perpetuate a lie; exerting frivolous claims of legal privilege in bad faith; and expending resources of the government to conceal the affair, including misusing the courts, Secret Service and the Department of Justice.