Starr Gives Up Pepperdine Deanship
He says the end of his investigation 'is not yet in sight'
WASHINGTON (April 16) -- Whitewater Independent Counsel Ken Starr announced Thursday he would not become dean of either the Pepperdine University School of Law or its new School of Public Policy.
 Transcript: Independent Counsel Ken Starr's Statement The Press |
Speaking to reporters on the steps of the federal courthouse in Washington, Starr also said he had written to Attorney General Janet Reno saying that "we need to seek mechanisms that will insure a full investigation of fact" in connection with his key Whitewater witness, David Hale.
Starr wrote to Pepperdine University to officially inform the school of his decision, explaining his duties as independent counsel have "expanded considerably, and the end is not yet in sight."
The special prosecutor would not comment, however, on when he will wrap up his investigations into the Monica Lewinsky matter or whether he would send a report to Congress. Starr is looking into whether President Bill Clinton had a sexual relationship with Lewinsky and urged her to lie about it under oath. Clinton has denied both accusations.
After announcing 14 months ago that he planned to resign Aug. 1, 1997 as independent counsel to accept the dual deanship at Pepperdine, Starr quickly reversed himself, saying it would be wrong to leave the investigation before it was close to closure. The university agreed to keep the job open for Starr.
"Because circumstances will prevent my being on board by the conclusion of the spring term," Starr said, "it is proper for me to withdraw, leaving the university time to have a new dean in place before the next academic year begins."
The special prosecutor has been criticized for a potential conflict of interest by leaving open the possibility that he would join the university even while investigating Clinton.
The School of Public Policy is funded by one of Clinton's most severe critics, millionaire Richard Mellon Scaife. Scaife has donated $12,7 to Pepperdine since 1962.
Scaife is also connected to allegations that Hale received money from conservative groups while cooperating as a witness for Starr. The money allegedly funneled to Hale came from The American Spectator magazine, which receives financial support from Scaife.
In a two-page letter to Starr, Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder asked Starr's office to investigate the allegations against Hale. Despite questions of conflict of interest, the Justice Department concluded that at this point, Starr holds sole jurisdiction to investigate "obstruction and witness tampering" in the Whitewater probe.
Starr sent a response to Holder Thursday. "In that letter, which I will only briefly describe, we suggest that we seek mechanisms that will ensure a full investigation of the facts in a fair way and a comprehensive way that will promote public confidence in the administration of justice, and that we explore that in a careful and thoughtful way with the Justice Department," Starr said.
Starr denied any connection between himself and Scaife, saying, "I have never met him, I have never talked to him, I have had no arrangement -- implicit, explicit, direct or indirect -- with him."
Scaife too denies ever meeting Starr, or exerting any influence over Pepperdine's dean selection. In a March 2, 1997 article in the Scaife-owned Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Scaife is quoted saying he didn't even know in advance that Starr had been designated as dean of the School of Public Policy.
Starr had informally told the school earlier in the month he was no longer prepared to become dean of either its new School of Public Policy or its School of Law. He is expected to continue to serve as a member of the University's Board of Visitors.
CNN's Wolf Blitzer contributed to this report.
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