Troopers Told Tucker Of Arranging Liaisons For Clinton
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AllPolitics, March 19) -- Following a six-hour appearance before the Whitewater grand jury in Little Rock Wednesday, Former Arkansas Gov. Jim Guy Tucker said a group of state troopers told him they arranged sexual trysts for then-Gov. Bill Clinton.
Tucker, who succeeded Clinton as Arkansas' governor, said the troopers claimed in 1990 to have arranged meetings with women for his predecessor. He did not recall which trooper initiated the conversation.
"They made allegations as to then-Governor Clinton's personal life, yes," Tucker told reporters. "This was a group that was opposed to Clinton and seemed to have an ax to grind with him."
Tucker would not comment on his grand jury testimony and gave no indication the troopers' story was discussed. Sources say his questioning may have been related to Hillary Rodham Clinton's work at the Rose Law Firm.
When asked if his testimony was damaging to the Clintons, Tucker said, "Someone else would have to make that judgment." He said facing the grand jury "was not unpleasant" and he expected to be called again.
Tucker was convicted of fraud and conspiracy charges stemming from the Whitewater probe and is cooperating with Independent Counsel Ken Starr's investigators. He resigned as governor following his conviction.
During the 1992 presidential campaign a few officers who served on Clinton's security detail made similar claims as the ones cited by Tucker about Clinton's personal life.
In his deposition in Paula Jones' lawsuit against the president, former trooper L.D. Brown testified he and fellow trooper Larry Patterson told the story to Tucker on March 12, 1990, at Tucker's campaign headquarters in Little Rock.
Meanwhile the 700-page court filing by Jones' attorneys last Friday, including the deposition of the Arkansas State Trooper Danny Ferguson, has focused new attention on Ferguson's claim that Jones initiated the meeting with then-Gov. Clinton in May 1991.
In his sworn testimony, Ferguson says Jones made remarks that Clinton was "good looking" and had "sexy hair" and asked to be introduced to him.
Ferguson's account was reported several years ago. Ferguson is Clinton's co-defendant in the lawsuit.
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