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 Ask Me No Questions... Executive privilege is in the air as Lindsey squirms on the stand
Updated: Feb 19 1998 4:04PM In his two days on the stand before Ken Starr's grand jury, Bruce Lindsey has been doing most of his talking in judge's chambers. Lawyers on both sides are haggling with U.S. District Judge Norma Hollaway Johnson over what questions Lindsey has to answer. "It's a dance," says TIME Washington deputy bureau chief J.F.O. McAllister. "The White House people say 'We don't want you to ask him that,' and Starr's side says, 'Well, what if we do?' And then the White House threatens to invoke executive privilege."
But neither side really wants that trigger to be pulled. For the White House the move invokes the ghost of Nixon; for Starr the ensuing court battles, ending at the Supreme Court, would delay his investigation for months. Starr at least has the legalities of executive privilege on his side. "It's reserved for three things: military or diplomatic secrets, and matters of national security," says McAllister. "You wouldn't expect a court ruling that Monica Lewinsky's sex life falls into any of those areas."
The White House is ready for Starr to call its bluff, having confirmed Thursday the rehiring of Neil Eggleston, a former White House lawyer, to fight for Clinton should push come to legal shove. |
