Reprinted from The Washington Times , 5am -- April 14, 1998
DNC tells Mulholland to stop probe of GOP
By Donald Lambro
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The Democratic National Committee ordered a DNC official yesterday to stop digging up dirt about the personal lives of Republican members of Congress who may conduct impeachment hearings against President Clinton.
Under mounting fire from Republicans who called for the resignation of DNC member Bob Mulholland of California -- who said he was investigating divorced GOP House Judiciary Committee members --DNC Chairman Steve Grossman said yesterday that Mr. Mulholland's tactics were not condoned by national party officials.
"I do not believe efforts of this kind advance the goals of our party," Mr. Grossman said in a letter to Mr. Mulholland late yesterday. "Consequently, I respectfully request that you refrain from the activities described in recent news accounts. The Democratic National Committee neither condones nor supports this type of activity."
Mr. Mulholland, who is also the chief spokesman for his state's Democratic Party, immediately backed away from his investigation. "I've accomplished my goal. I've gotten the press to focus on the Republicans. I'm moving on to other things," he said yesterday.
Mr. Grossman's move came after the White House yesterday again disavowed Mr. Mulholland's activities and said that it did not support such actions, and after three days of complaints from GOP lawmakers who accused the Democrats of engaging in a smear campaign that some said was "obstruction of Congress."
In a letter to DNC General Chairman Roy Romer, Republican National Committee Chairman Jim Nicholson called on him yesterday to "repudiate the outrageous politics of intimidation now being practiced by" Mr. Mulholland.
Mr. Mulholland told The Washington Times on Friday that he was gathering damaging information on the personal lives of GOP leaders and some Judiciary members that he threatened to disseminate if impeachment hearings are begun against President Clinton. One of the Judiciary members he targeted was Rep. Bob Barr, Georgia Republican, who "has been married three times," he noted.
He told The Times that records of divorce proceedings of some of the panel's GOP members "contain some very interesting information," including charges of adultery.
Mr. Nicholson accused Mr. Mulholland of engaging in "gutter politics" and said that his activities were "nothing short of a deliberate attempt to intimidate and impede the Congress in the performance of its official functions."
He called on Mr. Romer "to ask for his resignation," saying that Mr. Mulholland "needs to be told, in no uncertain terms, that blackmail is not a legitimate tactic of a great national party."
As the Republicans stepped up their attacks on Mr. Mulholland yesterday, a White House spokesman said that it and the DNC had sent word to him to end his investigative activities.
"I don't know what the White House can do," said Joe Lockhart, an assistant press secretary. "But we've said very clearly that we don't see looking into people's lives as appropriate and [it] certainly is not relevant to what this president is here to do in Washington."
Earlier yesterday, before Mr. Grossman's letter, Mr. Mulholland stood by his plans to spread personal information about GOP lawmakers who may have to vote on whether to begin impeachment proceedings against Mr. Clinton if Kenneth W. Starr, the special prosecutor, submits a report to the House in the Monica Lewinsky affair.
"I get a little tired of the Republicans continuing to attack the most successful president in decades. And when I see these Republicans go on television talking about Democrats and President Clinton, about family problems, family values, I just get a little outraged," he said on the NBC "Today" program yesterday.
"I mean, after all, it's the Republicans, led by [Speaker] Newt Gingrich, [former Senate Majority Leader] Bob Dole, or California Governor Pete Wilson, who all dumped their first wives for younger women. They they go on TV and attack Democrats and the president," Mr. Mulholland said.
"And I think if Bob Barr and some of these other Republicans have had two, three or four families, then let the American people know it. That's all public record," he said.
Mr. Barr, who also appeared on the "Today" show yesterday, said that Mr. Mulholland's activities were the political equivalent of "going through people's garbage."
"If he thinks that Henry Hyde, who is the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, is going to base his decision whether or not to move forward on impeachment hearings on what Mr. Mulholland comes up with, I mean, he's just sadly mistaken," he said.
The lawmaker also said that the White House was "engaged in a systematic effort to smear anybody who does criticize them."
Despite the DNC's letter of disavowal, Mr. Mulholland still appeared to have the support of his fellow Democrats, who maintained yesterday that he was free to dig up any information he had on the Republicans.
"We're all held to a standard of scrutiny in our personal lives and we must stand ready to answer for it," said Democratic Assemblywoman Carole Migden of San Francisco.
"Some people might find this morally objectionable, but we're engaged in a war and those are the rules of war," she said.Copyright 1998 News World Communications, Inc.
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