Reprinted from The Washington Times, March 13, 1998
White House budget chief pleads ignorance of lawyers' role
By Paul Bedard
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The chief White House administrator said Thursday that she does not know whether White House lawyers are handling personal legal chores for the first family.
"I do not know specifically," Ada Posey, director of administration for the White House, told a House panel probing reports that President Clinton is misusing tax dollars by having administration lawyers do legal work in the Whitewater and Lewinsky scandals.
The unprecedented squad of 34 White House lawyers and associates is barred by law from handling personal legal affairs for the first family, according to the Justice Department.
Miss Posey, who is in charge of the White House budget, said that chief Clinton counsel Charles F.C. Ruff had promised her that his lawyers, each earning annual salaries of $92,000 to $125,000, are not doing any improper legal work for the president.
"I have been assured by White House counsel's staff ... [that] all business conducted by the White House counsel's office is for official business," she said.
Her answer, however, was rebuffed by House Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert L. Livingston, Louisiana Republican, who said, "This administration has gone beyond the pale, they've gone so much further than previous administrations in using the counsel for their own purposes."
Added Rep. Ernest Istook, Oklahoma Republican: "What we hear from Miss Posey is, 'Trust me, I asked the chief of the White House legal staff and he told me everything is OK, so therefore, quit asking me questions.' I think that is a totally inappropriate response from the White House."
Mr. Istook suggested that the Justice Department be called upon to investigate the spending and work of the White House counsel's office.
The Washington Times reported this week that Mr. Clinton has expanded his legal shop from four to 34 attorneys and associates -- and added 12 more lawyers paid over $73,000 each to his staff from other government departments.
The payroll for the counsel's office, headed by Mr. Ruff, accounts for 10 percent of the $24 million White House budget -- making it the largest and most expensive in White House history.
Congressional appropriations officials called Thursday's hearing to determine whether the lawyers were conducting personal business for the president and first lady in violation of federal laws, which carry a stiff 10-year prison sentence and a fine of up to $250,000.
The probe was sparked when the White House recently said that Mr. Ruff's office helps White House staffers find private lawyers when they are called to testify before independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr's Whitewater grand jury, which is investigating reports that the president had sex with former intern Monica Lewinsky and then asked her to lie about it.
The White House also said the counsel's office debriefs those attorneys after the staffers testify.
The panel also raised questions about the larger cost of the Clinton communications operation, which has joined with the legal team to lead reporters to negative stories about Mr. Starr and his staff.
The Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel allows the White House to use government lawyers to handle official business, and that would include any plan by the president to claim executive privilege in the Lewinsky probe.
But Mr. Istook said that official business does not cover defending the president or aides facing perjury or obstruction-of-justice questions, such as those being investigated by Mr. Starr in his probe to determine whether Mr. Clinton asked Miss Lewinsky to lie about the affair she detailed in secretly recorded conversations with a former colleague, Linda R. Tripp.
"Certainly perjury and obstruction are not official duties," Mr. Istook said.
Mr. Clinton has denied he had an affair with the 24-year-old former intern.
Miss Posey tried to keep the focus on the White House request for $216 million and the need for money to upgrade out-of-date computers, but members of the Appropriations Committee's Treasury, Postal Service and general government subcommittee pushed for assurances that the legal office was not being misused by the president.
Miss Posey said she didn't question Mr. Ruff about the work of his office until after The Times' reports, and she angered panel members by failing to provide a detailed budget for the counsel's office.
Miss Posey was flanked by seven White House staffers.
Subcommittee Chairman Jim Kolbe, Arizona Republican, meanwhile, attacked White House claims that the counsel's office has been expanded to handle the dozens of congressional inquiries into White House scandals.
"Let's face it, we've been given a lot to work with," Mr. Kolbe said. "There have been scandals in the White House before, but never so many in a single administration --Whitewater, Travelgate, Filegate, improper fund raising. In each instance, there are more questions than answers," he said.
That sparked a retort from Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, Maryland Democrat, that the congressional probes were politically inspired.
"I believe there is a conspiracy, whether it be right-wing or not," he said.
At the annual budget hearing, the subcommittee also probed the administration's large budget for overtime.
Mr. Kolbe has conducted a yearlong investigation into the use of overtime by residence staff who are responsible for handling the personal requests of the president's guests and donors who are invited to spend the night in the Lincoln Bedroom and other suites.
But he said that the White House has blocked the General Accounting Office from tracking the expenses of the overnight guests.
Terry Carlstrom, regional director of the National Park Service, which funds the residence staff, said he could not explain the expenses.
He said the White House presents him with a budget, and the Park Service does not question or audit the spending.
Mr. Kolbe said he would block any further funding for overtime by the White House residence staff until the Lincoln Bedroom expenses are explained.Copyright 1998 News World Communications, Inc.
Reprinted with permission of
The Washington Times.
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