People sort through details, consider effect on president

President Clinton's legal problems intensified Wednesday as sex scandal allegations involving a then 21-year-old White House intern arose.

More serious allegations implied Clinton advised the former intern, Monica Lewinsky, now 24, to lie about their affair under oath in the Paula Jones sexual harassment civil suit.

Around the country, citizens are left sorting fact from fiction and wondering if a repeat of Richard Nixon's 1974 Watergate-induced resignation awaits.

"I think that the allegations will slowly be proven more and more, just like with the Gennifer Flowers relationship," said Jerrold Ansman, chairman of College Republicans. "If the rumors . . . are true, I think you'll hear about impeachment proceedings."

Ansman said he sees a lot of similarities between Watergate and the Lewinsky case, as does Bruce Murphy, professor of American history and politics.

"The difficulty and where we should be focusing our attention . . . is not on the allegations (of an affair), but on the cover-up," Murphy said.

Adam Black (junior-political science) also said the potential cover-up is more worrisome than Clinton's latest alleged affair.

"Clinton's transgressions are nothing new," Black said. "Bill Clinton's popularity is not going to change dependent on who he sleeps with."

Clinton's popularity, Black said, will be altered only when economic and social events around the world have a drastic effect on the United States. Although John F. Kennedy allegedly had an affair with Marilyn Monroe, his legacy is the Cuban missile crisis, Black added.

However, if Clinton is guilty of asking Lewinsky to commit perjury, he is a felon, Black said.

Clinton potentially faces two serious charges: obstruction of justice and suborning perjury, Murphy said.

Obstruction of justice, as defined by writer Daniel Pouzzner in "The Constitution of Creativism" on his World Wide Web site, involves the "concealment or manufacture of evidence . . . with the deliberate intent of subverting legal accountability or innocence."

Suborning perjury is persuading someone to lie under oath, Murphy said.

"If the allegations prove to be true, which will be a long way down the road, then Clinton would be in very deep trouble," Murphy said.

Clinton is "under siege" from three different directions, Murphy said. A Republican-dominated Congress and a media feeding frenzy exacerbate Clinton's third difficulty: former Whitewater prosecutor Kenneth Starr, who already has begun investigating the Lewinsky allegations with Attorney General Janet Reno's approval, Murphy said.

If the allegations are founded, Murphy said impeachment proceedings or a criminal trial could ensue.

Inevitably, the Democratic party would urge Clinton to resign in the event of a Congressional impeachment trial, just as Nixon did, Murphy said.

"I really don't see the Republicans pushing (impeachment)," Black said. "If the Republicans force him to do that they'll have President Gore and they don't want that."

Others said they think Clinton might go through with a Congressional trial, rather than resign.

"He might go to trial. He's a very good talker and he knows he's a good talker. He might just try to pull it out in the eleventh hour," said Kyle Enty (junior-special education).

Because it is Clinton's word against Lewinsky's word, it isn't fair to pass judgment until evidence is presented, said Farrah Brower (senior-hotel, restaurant and institutional management).

"But if he did try (to lie) in the past (about Flowers) and then admits it later, you tend to think 'Well, it happened then, is that what's happening now?' " Brower said.

Brower said she hopes that if Clinton is impeached, it will be after all evidence is taken into consideration.

Until then, Murphy said, it is important to remember the American justice system states Clinton is innocent until proven guilty.

"He is not above the law or outside of the law," Murphy said. "He has the same protections we do."