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Starr quietly continues White House investigationBy Pierre Thomas/CNN
February 19, 1999 WASHINGTON (February 19) -- Independent Counsel Ken Starr's grand jury quietly convened here this week, a clear sign that his investigation is not over despite President Bill Clinton's acquittal by the Senate last week. What is Starr looking at now? One area is the Kathleen Willey matter. Willey, a former White House volunteer, claims Clinton groped her at the White House in 1993. Clinton flatly denies the charge. But Starr's investigators continue to pursue allegations of a White House plan to intimidate Willey once the story became public. Starr's office has been talking with private investigator Jared Stern. Sources say he was hired by an associate of prominent Democratic donor Nate Landow after Willey repeated her accusations on CBS last March. "My client was instructed by his then-employer to conduct an investigation of Kathleen Willey," Stern attorney Edouard Bouquet said. "He wasn't necessarily given the reasons why." CNN has learned part of Stern's investigation involved reviewing Willey's telephone records. "There was some indication from his employer that this had 'come from the White House,' but my client has no independent knowledge of that," Bouquet said. Stern's employer has since died. Stern is now cooperating with Starr. He has been granted immunity and made two grand jury appearances last year. Stern also talked with the independent counsel's investigators within the last month. "I think that he (Starr) believes that my client was involved in some attempt to obstruct justice in the Kathleen Willey investigation," Bouquet said. Landow and Willey were friends at the time but he told CNN he "never pressured Willey in any way." And he said he had nothing to do with hiring a private investigator. On the allegation of a White House role in the hiring of Stern, Landow attorney Joe Caldwell said "at no time did Landow or anybody on his behalf have any connection with the White House concerning Kathleen Willey." And White House spokesman Joe Lockhart told CNN any suggestion of White House involvement is "purely baseless and ridiculous." |
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