Kenneth Starr

ADA believes that the behavior of the Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr is inexcusable. Independent Counsel Starr has abandoned all pretense of "searching for justice." He unilaterally exceeded his jurisdiction by moving forward with an investigation of the President's private life before he had a mandate from the Attorney General and the Courts. He pressured Ms. Lewinsky into not seeking legal advice. He and his staff worked with the lawyers in the Paula Jones case, which creates the appearance, if not the reality, of a conflict of interest. He freely used the trap created by Ms. Tripp and her legal advisers to snare the President. He did not question Ms. Tripp's motivations; he did not seek to identify those who assisted her; nor did he establish the legality and the integrity of the tapes she provided.

 

Mr. Starr is a zealot bent on destroying the President. His behavior represents a gross abuse of prosecutorial discretion and the deliberate misuse of the legal process to destroy the position of a lawfully elected President of the United States. He showed no concern for the privacy of anyone involved. The report issued by Mr. Starr and his team and later released by the House Judiciary Committee was salacious and included unnecessary material designed to degrade the President. He has damaged the institution of the Presidency, the Constitutional process, and the standing of the United States in the international arena. Furthermore, the secrecy of the Grand Jury has been fully abrogated through leaks from Mr. Starr's office and the release of the President's testimony to the general public.

 

Therefore, ADA calls upon the House Judiciary Committee to investigate Mr. Starr's unethical behavior and take appropriate action concerning that behavior. Furthermore, we support the investigation currently underway concerning leaks from the Office of the Independent Counsel and urge that a report on that investigation be released to the public as soon as possible.

Read the NYC ADA letter to the NYC Congressional delegation.

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