Clinton aides play down impact of Whitewater

By Laurence McQuillan

WASHINGTON (Reuter): President Bill Clinton is trying to focus on the "public's business," as his aides seek to play down the impact that Whitewater is having on his policies and performance in office.

With Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles forced to testify before a grand jury on Tuesday, just one day after a judge sentenced former Clinton business partner James McDougal to three years in jail, the White House was trying to project the image of a president going about his job.

White House aides in private admit to increasing frustration as daily media attention focuses on the Whitewater investigation, the questions swirling around Democratic fund-raising efforts for last year's elections, and Clinton's role in them.

"You guys aren't listening to us," said one White House official to a reporter. "We'd love to talk about substance, but you want scandals."

In New York City on Tuesday, Clinton spoke of the challenges facing the nation -- from balancing the budget to reforming the nation's educational system.

"I'm going to do my best to keep doing the public's business, and I will do my best to do it in a fair and open way with the members of both parties in the Congress," he said.

"Can we give our children a world class education? Can we deal with the health care and the safety needs of all the poor children," he asked.

Tending to the public's business has become the motto of the White House, where officials find themselves increasingly dealing with fending off questions about possible wrongdoing.

"We have no choice but to keep doing what we're doing," said a senior administration official of Clinton. "He was elected to do a job and he's doing it."

He told a reporter that "to the extent people like you pay attention to that, or don't pay attention to it, we have no control."

"There's no point in worrying about things that are beyond our control," the official said. "Despite the preoccupations of others, we continue to focus on the things that made voters decide he (Clinton) should be re-elected."

Various White House and administration officials did acknowledge, however, that questions about Democratic fund raising have tended to slow filling some vacant posts and the naming of some ambassadors.

"The only place I've seen an impact, to tell you the truth, is in appointments," one White House official said.

"People are extra sensitive to the risk of being accused of giving preferential treatment," he said. "That's the only place I really see it."

Back in February White House officials rejoiced privately when Whitewater prosecutor Kenneth Starr abruptly announced he planned to leave. It was assumed that signaled little was left to the investigation.

Within a week Starr reversed himself and said he was remaining. On Monday Starr told a judge in Arkansas that he should be give a light sentence to McDougal, saying he had provided investigators "information on a wide range of matters."

McDougal has been the central figure of the Whitewater saga since it flared up in 1993 and was far closer to Clinton than anyone else brought to trial in the investigation.

Clinton's current chief of staff on Tuesday entered a courtroom in Little Rock and testified before a special Whitewater grand jury. Former White House Chief of Staff Thomas "Mack" McLarty also is expected to appear before the same panel later this week.

While Clinton is trying to put thoughts of the investigation behind him, it clearly looms ahead for many more days to come.