Clinton Admits Fbi Files Acquired
Administration Says It Was Honest Mistake
Dole Isn't Convinced
June 10, 1996|By William Neikirk, Tribune Staff Writer.
LAS VEGAS — President Clinton conceded Sunday that the administration mistakenly obtained the FBI files of more than 300 people, including many top Republicans, in late 1993 as the result of a "completely honest bureaucratic snafu" involving security clearances.
His chief of staff, Leon Panetta, told reporters that "obviously a mistake was made" and apologized to the people whose FBI files wound up at the White House. Clinton did not apologize directly, but said "I completely support" what Panetta said about the affair.
"It's inexcusable that the mistake was made, but none of that information was improperly used," Panetta told reporters aboard Air Force One. He said new procedures have been put in place "to ensure that that will never happen again."
The incident grew into a political controversy when Sen. Bob Dole, the presumptive Republican nominee, likened it to Watergate when the Nixon administration compiled an "enemies list."
In a campaign appearance with House Speaker Newt Gingrich in Georgia on Saturday, Dole referred to it as a "dirt-digging expedition" and demanded an apology.
"It smells to high heaven" Dole said. He added that for an administration that bragged that it would be the most ethical in history, "the Clinton White House certainly makes a lot of innocent mistakes."
The White House was caught off guard by the disclosure that FBI files of such Republican luminaries as former Secretary of State James A. Baker III; Gingrich's press secretary, Tony Blankley; Kenneth Duberstein, chief of staff to former president Ronald Reagan; and Marlin Fitzwater, former President George Bush's press secretary, were obtained by the White House personnel security office in late 1993.
Panetta said the mistake occurred when an Army investigator was brought into the White House in late 1993 to help clear up a backlog of paperwork involving security clearances for those seeking White House passes. He said the detailee was given an outdated list of passholders that included many officials from the Reagan and Bush administrations.
The Army official, Anthony Marceca, who was detailed to the White House's personnel security office, requested and obtained the files from the FBI and reviewed them for "derogatory information." If he found any, he passed it on to Craig Livingstone, the director of the office.
According to the Washington Post, Livingstone's attorney said that Livingstone did not pass on any information to anyone outside his office. Panetta told reporters that the files remained in the security office. Now, he said, they have all been returned to the FBI, but they remained in White House possession until they were returned last week.
"It appears to have been a completely honest bureaucratic snafu when we were trying to straighten out who should get the security clearances to come to the White House," Clinton told reporters.
As for Dole's criticism, Panetta noted that the senator had made the comment while campaigning with Gingrich at his side.
"When Sen. Dole gets on the stage with Speaker Gingrich, he begins to take on some of the same shoot-from-the-hip approaches," the chief of staff said. "It's shoot first and ask questions later."
Panetta said there would be an FBI investigation into the matter, but House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas) said that wasn't enough.
"I don't think that ends it," Armey said on ABC, referring to the White House apology. "I think we ought to have hearings."
The fact that the White House had obtained the FBI records grew out of the controversy over the firing of the travel office staff in 1993. House Republican investigators first discovered a White House request for the FBI files of the fired travel office director, Billy Dale, and then learned more files had been requested.
The incident has a special touch of irony since Clinton gained political points in the 1992 presidential election when it was discovered Bush administration officials searched State Department files on Clinton's days as a student in London and his trip to the former Soviet Union.
The president's three-day swing also took him to San Francisco on Sunday, with stops scheduled for Los Angeles on Monday and Albuquerque on Tuesday.
Clinton, who announced opposition to so-called same-sex marriages, was met by about 200 gay rights advocates protesting outside the San Francisco home of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, where the president attended a $1 million Democratic National Committee fundraising dinner.
Clinton's visit to Nevada was the first of his presidency. He attended a fundraiser at the home of Brian Greenspun, publisher of the Las Vegas Sun, and raised a half-million dollars for Democrats. Less than half the money raised came from casino figures, including casino owner Steve Wynn.
Asked about the propriety of the president gathering funds from gambling interests while Congress is considering a bill to establish a commission to study the industry with subpoena power, Panetta said there was nothing improper.
"Fundraisers are a thing he's going to attend all over the country," he said. "People from all backgrounds will attend and make contributions."
Clinton said it appears that an agreement is near on establishing a gambling commission, which would have limited subpoena power. The agreement would make clear that "it wasn't going to be a witch hunt, which is my concern all along."
The president, who played a round of golf recently with Wynn, said the commission is supposed to look into the impact of gambling on the country, and "not any kind of a pursuit of any particular individual organizations (or) groups."