Hillary's Privelege Claim Called "Bogus"

(CNSNews.com) - 5-11-00 We may never know what Bill and Hillary Clinton said to each other when they talked about releasing personal letters that Kathleen Willey wrote to the president.

The Clintons are refusing to answer questions about their discussion, using "spousal privilege" as a shield, but a conservative group that's seeking answers called their spousal privilege claim "bogus."

Kathleen Willey accused the president of groping her in the Oval Office in 1993, while she was working at the White House as a volunteer. In a lawsuit brought by Judicial Watch, Willey is now suing the president for violating the Privacy Act in making her letters public.

The Privacy Act forbids the release of personal information in government files.

The White House, in a written response to the lawsuit Tuesday, said the Clintons' lawyers "advise us that the substance of discussions between the president and the first lady would be protected by the spousal privilege."

Judicial Watch isn't buying it.

Larry Klayman, the group's chairman and general counsel, said, "Judicial Watch believes this claim of spousal privilege in this context is bogus and will be challenging it in Court. In any event, it shows that the Clintons do not want to tell the truth about their obvious role in criminally violating Kathleen Willey's and others' privacy rights."

In late March, President Clinton said he decided to release private letters Willey wrote to him because he thought it was the only way to refute her allegations that he made improper sexual advances toward her.

He said he believed the friendly letters, written after the alleged incident, exonerated him, and he said it never occurred to him that releasing the letters might violate the Privacy Act.

However, federal judge Royce Lamberth ruled in March that the president "had the requisite intent for committing a criminal violation of the Privacy Act."

The White House admits the president discussed the release of Willey's letters with Mrs. Clinton, James Carville, and others.

Judcial Watch insists that the release of Willey's letters is circumstantial evidence that the White House improperly used confidential information from FBI files.

Judicial Watch has named Hillary Rodham Clinton, among others, in its so-called "Filegate" lawsuit.

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