March 1, 1998

Leaking Information To The Press Is Time-Honored Tactic

Ancient China’s most diabolic torture was the steady drip of water on the foreheads of bound victims. Within hours, the culprit would scream for mercy and confess any crime alleged.

The technique was revived by leaks of Watergate during the Nixon presidency.

In a bizarre twist, it has been refined by leaks of Whitewater on the skulls of President Clinton AND his prosecutor, Kenneth Starr.

Reversal of the roles of leak-er and leak-ee began a six weeks ago when Clinton’s attack dog, James Carville, “declared war” on the various independent counsels investigating Clinton’s various political and financial deals. They have pursued Clinton’s associates for three-and-a-half years with considerable success and are zeroing in on the head honcho.

Instead of obeying grand jury subpoenas for records and truthful testimony, the White House has trundled up howitzers. “A vast right-wing conspiracy” declared Hillary Clinton.

Anne Lewis, a White House spear carrier appearing on a TV talk show, accused Starr of leaking the Monica Lewinsky story to Newsweek reporter Michael Isikoff. On another network, at the same moment, Isikoff stated his information came from “sources close to the president’s defense.”

News media stars were flooded with “tips” about past professional misconduct by Starr deputies. The dastardly acts turned out to be minor court-room infractions years ago. One slur, proven untrue, asserted a certain prosecutor had been fired from a university job.

Joe DiGenova, a conservative attorney and frequent guest on TV talk shows, complained on a Sunday news program a week ago about White House “harassment.” He said many reporters disclosed that a White House private investigators were trying to dig up embarrassing information about him and his attorney wife Victoria Toensing. White House Spokesman Michael McCurry told his Monday morning press briefing: “No one in the White House, or anyone acting on behalf of the White House, or any of President Clinton’s private attorneys, has hired or authorized any private investigator to look into the backgrounds of Mr. DiGenova, Ms. Toensing, investigators, prosecutors or reporters.”

Geraldo Rivera, host of a TV talk show, found the lead private-eye was Terry Lenzner. His firm, Investigative Services, had been hired in 1994 to compile “background information” for Clinton’s lawyers. Rivera later said on the air that he was authorized to extend a public apology to DiGenova and Toensing on behalf of the president.

Now comes Sidney Blumenthal, a former left-wing journalist and Hillary Clinton sycophant. He has moved from the Washington Post and New Yorker magazine to the White House to “monitor” media coverage of the scandals. That is, to leak damaging information -- true, half-true or plausible --about Clinton’s political enemies to sympathetic media.

This is clearly meant to intimidate Starr and his prosecutors -- a violation of law known as obstruction of justice. Starr subpoenaed Blumenthal to discover who in the White House or Starr’s office is leaking grand jury proceedings. Blumenthal wraps himself in the sacred First Amendment guarantee of free speech.

David Kendall, Clinton’s attorney, accused Starr of leaking grand jury information damaging to the president. He declared the independent counsel “is out of control.” As evidence of this, Kendall flashes 15 newspaper clippings reporting details of witness statements which he says “could have come only from Starr’s office.”

Starr replies all of the attacks on the integrity of his Justice Department professionals “an avalanche of lies.” Among unsubstantiated leaks were that Starr was involved in an extra-marital affair, that a member of his staff is a closet homosexual, and that other staffers have romantic attachments to reporters.

Leaks of otherwise secret information is standard operating practice inside the Washington, D.C., beltway. Grand juries are copious conduits.

Prosecutors and jurors are forbidden to discuss proceedings. Witnesses , however can discuss their testimony freely with anyone who wants to listen -- read that ”the media.”

The usual source of grand jury leaks is not discussed openly by lawyers and spin doctors. Nonetheless, the 23 jurors are potent drops of water. These jurors are ordinary citizens called as needed over a long period of time to determine if there is possible cause of crime justifying a trial. They go home every night, and many can’t resist the temptation to blab -- to family or their newspaper friend. Journalists are friends to everyone. It’s part of their job.

Media offices harbor reverse leakers. Someone with intimate knowledge of Isikoff’s Lewinsky scoop told Matt Drudge, a well-known internet gossip. He broke the story -- with some inaccurate accusations by the leaker, for which Drudge had to retract later. Blumenthal threatens a $30 million legal suit.

During an interview last year with the New York Post, Former White House lawyer Lanny Davis admitted that Clinton aides would sometimes leak damaging information just before it was about to be revealed. Thus, they could claim bias by the source going public. Top this, Machiavelli, if you can.

PARTING SHOTS

Henrik Ibsen wisely observes: “One should never wear their best trousers when going out to fight for truth.”

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Oops! award of the week goes to Congressman Sam Farr, California Democrat, for this paragraph in his latest newsletter: “Looking to intern in Washington, D.C.? If so, you can now get hands-on experience in my Washington office.”

By Lindsey Williams, columnist for Sun Coast Media Group newspapers