Word: starrs
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...questionable law enforcement techniques being employed by Kenneth Starr against President Clinton should be a cause of concern to all Americans, regardless of their politics or feelings about the President...
...threatening to prosecute Monica Lewinsky and her mother unless the former intern gives him the story he wants, Starr may well be encouraging Lewinsky to bend--or even break--the truth. Lewinsky knows that without transactional immunity, she could be prosecuted for past perjury, since her sworn affidavit is apparently different from what she said on the tapes. The President's lawyers do not have the power to rescue her from this jeopardy. Indeed, they cannot offer her anything--or even talk to her. Starr can offer her full immunity. But he will not do so unless her story...
Otherwise, he will prosecute her--though his mandate does not extend to alleged perjury committed in the course of a civil case unrelated to Whitewater. This kind of one-sided bargaining power gives Starr the strength of the legendary godfather to make an offer that cannot be refused. He can point to Susan McDougal as an example of someone who spurned his offer and is now languishing in prison...
...risk that a prosecutor, like Kenneth Starr, could induce a false story from a frightened target is greatest when the allegations against the higher up are vague. Crimes such as "subornation of perjury" and "obstruction of justice" are as vague as they get. A slight shift in nuance or emphasis could turn the true reality of an innocent conversation or job offer into the false memory of an apparent felony. The shift in nuance need not even be deliberate. Memories tend to be enhanced by the realities of threat and promise...
Citing the gag order of the Arkansas judge who's handling the Paula Jones civil suit, Whitehead and the Rutherford Institute aren't turning anything else over to Starr. Partly because of this, Starr is in Arkansas Tuesday trying to get the gag order removed. Whitehead has already said he'd like to get rid of the order so that the complete information from all the depositions can get out, rather than just the stuff that has been leaked by all sides. No word yet on how that's going...