Section B·Page 8
The University Daily Kansan
Tuesday, September 22, 1998
Nation/World
Taped testimony released
Contradicting stories aired on television, internet, radio
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Congress released yesterday the raw footage of President Clinton's grand jury testimony and 3,183 pages of evidence chronicling his relationship with Monica Lewinsky in explicit detail.
"It's an embarrassing and personally painful thing," Clinton told the grand iurors.
White House press secretary Mike McCurry blamed the release on partisanship and dismissed most of the new material as irrelevant.
The tape portrayed Clinton at sometimes angry at prosecutors' questions.
The two-volume set of evidence made public included Lewinsky's own account to prosecutors and the grand jury, in which she called the presi-
McCurry: Decried the release of Clinton's testimony.
In which one of these dent her sexual soul mate and testified about her frustration that the president had not taken their sexual activity further.
"Maybe that was his way of being able to feel OK in yourself."
"this way it justifies justify it or rationalize it," she said.
Away from the spectacle, the president was at the United Nations in New York. His speech on combating terrorism got a standing ovation.
Rep. John Conyers Jr., ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, decried that the release of irrelevant, unnecessary disclosure of salacious and hurid details was meant to embarrass the president.
But Republican members of the committee said the video
Lewinsky: Her testimony contradicted the President's.
tape revealed Clinton's legal maneuvering. Commitment perjury before the grand jury would be grounds for impeachment, said Rep. Charles Candy, R-Fla.
Lewinsky's testimony contradicted the president's on several key aspects. She insisted that he did touch her body during their sexual encounters and
that they were alone at times in the Oval Office. She dates their first sexual encounter to November 1995 while she was still an intern. Clinton said the contacts began in January 1996 after she had a pald White House job.
At the request of one grand juror, Lewinsky recounted her conversations with Clinton about concealing or denying their sexual relationship, discussions that prosecutors allege amounted to obstruction of justice.
"I told him I could always — I would always deny it. I would always protect him," Lewinsky said.
She was then asked by a juror to recount what the president said.
American watchers on televisions and computers across the country saw their president taking the oath before a grand jury, wrestling with difficult and graphic questions and trying to fall back on a technical, legal defense.
"I'm seeing him smile, and I'm hearing him saying 'that's good,' or — something affirmative," she said. Clinton said he never asked her to lie.
"I am not going to answer your trick questions," Clinton snapped at prosecutors at one point.
Eighteen-year-old Chris Junker at the University of Nebraska said he thought Clinton had done a bunch of lying so far, and that he was just trying to make up for it.
A different view came from cab driver Fofana Sekou, watching in the Greyhound bus station in Philadelphia.
"IIf the man is doing a good job, you got to give him a chance to let him finish what he's doing," Sekou said.
Clinton read a statement describing his relationship with Lewinsky as involving inappropriate intimate contact. He then refused to describe the relationship further when prosecutors asked.
"I think it is clear what inappropriately intimate it. I have said what it did not include. It did not include sexual intercourse, and I do not believe it included conduct which falls within the definition I was given in the Jones deposition," Clinton said.
Clinton gradually grew more animated. He grasped his chin, pointed his finger thoughtfully and took frequent sips of water as he discussed the meaning of sexual relations in almost businesslike fashion.
"Again I say, sir, just from the tone of your voice and the way you're asking questions here, it's obvious this is the most important thing in the world and that everybody was focused on all the details at the time. But that's not the way it worked, I was, I was doing my best to remember," the president said.
Premier ousted; Malaysia riots
The Associated Press
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Ignoring a visit by the British queen, thousands of supporters of Malaysia's ousted deputy premier clashed yesterday with police trying to end two weeks of protest — the biggest outpouring of dissent during Mahathir Mohamad's 17-year rule.
After calling on army reservists and riot police to quell the unrest that reflected a pitched battle for power in this Muslim nation, Prime Minister Mahathir joined Queen Elizabeth II at the finale of the Commonwealth Games.
The arrest of former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim added a volatile element to Malaysia's political and economic troubles.
straters took to the streets in other parts of the capital, where they were chased by riot police.
With police helicopters buzzing overhead, more than 1,000 officers chased mobs of protesters down side streets and blocked roads in an effort to contain angry demonstrators.
Several thousand more demon
Anwar, tossed out of the government earlier this month, was expected to face charges of sexual misconduct and disturbing the public order. He has vehemently denied the charges, saying they were cooked up by Mahathir.
As with many other Asian nations, Malaysia is struggling with a worsening economy. But those frustrations haven't mounted to the levels in Indonesia, where people rioted spontaneously leading to the downfall of President Suharto in May.
But Anwar has been leading an increasingly vocal opposition to the 72-year-old prime minister since Sept. 2, when Mahathir fired the man he once had designated his successor.
Expecting to be arrested any moment, Anwar gave fiery speeches and incited crowds to shout "Mahathir out!" and "Long
Kristi Elliott / KANSAN
live Anwar." Such attacks on the dignity and authority of the prime minister were unheard of.
The sight of 35,000 people, punching the air with their fists, waving banners and shouting "Reform!" at a downtown square on Sunday may have been the last straw.
Two hours later, a masked team of special agents broke down Anwar's front door. Federal police said Anwar was placed under indefinite detention as a security risk.
Russian leaders try to jump start economy
The Associated Press
MOSCOW—Russia has issued $55 million in new rubles in a bid to prevent the collapse of commercial banks, the Central Bank said yesterday, playing down concerns the move would fuel inflation.
The announcement came while President Boris Yeltsin and Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov met to complete Cabinet selections and work on a strategy to jump start the moribund economy.
As part of the effort, the Central Bank printed $55 million in rubles and issued short-term credits to banks. Karbon
The financial crisis has caused a backlog of bank payments totaling more than $1.9 billion, Andrei Kozlov, first deputy chairman of the Central Bank, said at a news conference yesterday.
said the amount was too small to affect the rubble's rate and inflation.
The bank launched an emergency rescue plan on Friday to help settle $613 million of the payments, Kozlov said.
Many analysts feared the move could set a dangerous precedent, and if the policy was continued, it could
Yeltsin: Wants his Prime Minister to outline a plan.
fuel inflation and lead to further declines in the ruble. The ruble is officially valued at 16.3 to the dollar, down from six months ago.
Critics have accused the govern
ment of responding slowly to the crisis.
Primakov has been in office 10 days but has yet to outline an overall economic strategy or to put his Cabinet in place. About a dozen seats are still empty.
"We are going to finalize the personnel issue with (Primakov) today." Yeltsin said at the start of his meeting with Primakov.
But only one Cabinet appointee was announced after the meeting: Gennady Kulik, 63, a Soviet-era agricultural official and a member of parliament's Agrarian Faction, was named deputy prime minister for agriculture.
Deputy Prime Minister Alexan der Shokhin, after meeting with Yeltsin khin, said the government's economic plan would be unvelled tomorrow.