For the second time in two weeks, the Democratic presidential campaign of Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton has been stalled by unsubstantiated press reports of marital infidelity.
Clinton, his wife, Hillary, and a host of campaign aides have firmly denied the charges, which first appeared in the tabloid newspaper Star and have been picked up by other news organizations.
The first wave of accusations-which were examined by several news organizations that never turned up evidence to support them-were widely dismissed as the politically motivated work of a disgruntled former state employee. The latest charges, which came to light late Thursday, involve an Arkansas woman who allegedly says she engaged in a 12-year affair with the governor.
The Star, which has acknowledged paying Gennifer Flowers for the interview, claims to have audio tapes in which Clinton encourages the former Little Rock TV reporter to remain silent in the face of questions from the news media.
Thus far, the Star has declined to make the tapes public.
Clinton, who returned to Little Rock Friday and was not available for comment, has dismissed all the accusations, arguing that he has been victimized by his own candor.
”The allegations in the Star are not true,” he said Thursday night.
Despite the tenuous nature of the charges and the categorical denials, Clinton has been forced to respond to Flowers` story at virtually every campaign stop.
And despite formal statements of support from fellow Democrats, there are already rumblings about what might happen if the man currently viewed as the front-runner for the Democratic nomination is forced to withdraw.
The most recent polls in New Hampshire, site of the nation`s first presidential primary, show Clinton holding a narrow lead over his Democratic rivals.
But such prominent Democratic figures as Sen. Lloyd Bentsen of Texas, Sen. Bill Bradley of New Jersey and House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt of Missouri-all of whom declined to challenge President Bush-are already being mentioned again.
”We`re staying the course,” Clinton`s deputy campaign manager, George Stephanopoulos, said Friday. Indeed, the Clintons scheduled a full slate of campaign events for this weekend, including stops in Washington, Boston, New Hampshire and a post-Super Bowl appearance on CBS` ”60 Minutes” Sunday.
CBS News said the couple would talk about their marriage on the show.
”Bill and Hillary want and welcome the opportunity to say in a forthright and open way what they have to say,” said Clinton campaign manager David Wilhelm.
”Our problem is that the story is running despite the lack of credibility,” Wilhelm said. ”How long do you allow that to go unanswered?
You`ve got to answer it. But in answering it, do you give accusations that are groundless greater currency? That`s the quandary.”
Since joining the Democratic field last October, the Clintons have responded aggressively to questions about their relationship, acknowledging that their 16-year marriage ”had not been perfect.”
Over the years, rumors of extramarital affairs have dogged Clinton; but through five gubernatorial elections, no credible evidence has been forthcoming.
Clinton, 45, has declined to answer what he describes as ”have-you-ever” questions. Ten days ago, during a live interview on a television station in Manchester, N.H., he was asked if he ever had an extramarital affair.
”If I had, I certainly wouldn`t tell you,” Clinton responded.
The governor told the Washington Post in an interview Thursday: ”I am the only person I am aware of to ever run for president to come before the press and the American people with my wife to say that we were really proud our marriage was still together because it had had problems, I hadn`t been perfect, we had difficulties . . . and we worked through it.”
Hillary Clinton has been equally direct. At a Jan. 18 rally in Bedford, N.H., she offered a fiery response to a question from the audience concerning ”fair inquiry” from the press about her marriage.
”In a marriage,” she said, ”there are issues that come up between two people . . . that I think are their business.”
As her husband stood by, Hillary Clinton strove to put the rumors in the context of the campaign, and of the bleak New Hampshire economy that is its focal point:
”Is anything about our marriage that`s now lasted 16 years in a fishbowl in a very small state, where we`ve been through 17 elections in 17 years, where we`ve raised a daughter we`re very proud of, where we`ve stood by each other through thick and thin . . . Is anything about our marriage as important to the people of New Hampshire as whether or not they will have a chance to keep their own families together?”
Clinton`s supporters were elated by his wife`s speech-”a home run,”
adviser James Carville called it-and some political professionals expressed the belief that the straightforward response to shaky charges would help put the issue behind them.
The second wave of accusations has forced the campaign to respond in some detail, however, with Clinton acknowledging that he knew Flowers and that he had indeed called her, after consulting his wife.
Clinton said he telephoned Flowers to calm her after she expressed discomfort at the press attention focused on her because of the rumors.
The Star claims the tapes reveal that Clinton told Flowers to deny they had an affair.
The Clinton campaign produced a letter signed by Flowers` attorney last January in which he threatened a Little Rock radio station with legal action for ”untruthfully alleging an affair” between Clinton and Flowers. The lawsuit was never filed.
