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| For Immediate Release | |
| Aug 20, 1998 | Contact: Press Office 202-646-5172 |
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Stephanopoulos sanctioned, Carville rebuked by court Judicial Watch Seeks Court Order to Re-Question Stephanopoulos About White House Ally Smear Campaign Both George Stephanopoulos and James Carville were recently found by a court to have been less than forthright in the Judicial Watch Filegate civil suit. Stephanopoulos, a former advisor to President Clinton, was sanctioned by the court for making unbelievable statements under oath. Specifically, the court found that Stephanopoulos' "claims of memory loss are simply not believable" and some of his sworn testimony was "not truthful." As a result, Stephanopoulos was sanctioned by the court and will be forced to pay thousands of dollars in attorney's costs and fees to Judicial Watch. (Will ABC follow The Boston Globe's and The New Republic's lead?) Another Clinton ally, James Carville, was also admonished by the court for "piecemeal disclosure" of his availability for a court-ordered deposition. The court also found "impropriety" in Carville's activities and rebuked Carville and his attorney for "active[ly] misleading" the court. Stephanopoulos warned on national television that there is an "Ellen Rometsch strategy" by "White House allies" to "bring down" perceived adversaries of the Clinton Administration - which includes everyone from reporters to investigators to members of Congress. Stephanopoulos confirmed to Judicial Watch, under oath, the existence of this "deterrent strategy." Historically, the "Ellen Rometsch strategy" refers to the misuse of FBI files to blackmail members of Congress to prevent an investigation into President John Kennedy's alleged affair with East German spy Ellen Rometsch. In light of the fact that the Clinton Internet front, Salon Magazine, also confirmed the existence of this "scorched-earth plan" last week, Judicial Watch is seeking a court order to force Stephanopoulos to tell Judicial Watch who the "White House allies" are. "Stephanopoulos and Salon put out the word about a blackmail operation to protect President Clinton from the consequences of his sordid activities," stated Judicial Watch Chairman and General Counsel Larry Klayman. "Unless we quickly find out who the 'White House allies' are, more innocent people could be hurt." In its Filegate case, Judicial Watch recently obtained a document written by Salon writer and Clinton ally Gene Lyons to James Carville about Starr's alleged personal life in Little Rock. |
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