White House Seeks to Save Rights Nominee

The White House, concerned that President Clinton’s nominee for the top Justice Department civil rights post could be defeated because of her controversial views on racial preferences, launched an unusual campaign Wednesday to save the nomination weeks in advance of any Senate confirmation vote.

The White House felt compelled to rise to the defense of University of Pennsylvania law professor C. Lani Guinier, whom Clinton nominated earlier this month to be assistant attorney general for civil rights, because of what it characterized as “substantial misinformation” circulating about her views.

Administration officials also wanted to dispel rumors that the White House was considering withdrawing the nomination in the face of attacks from conservative legal groups and questions from some Senate moderates about her ideas on quotas, voting rights and racial preferences.

In a letter sent to all 100 members of the Senate on Wednesday, Howard Paster, assistant to the President for legislative affairs, said Guinier has been a victim of an “unfair and extreme attack” before she has had a chance to explain her views before the Judiciary Committee.

“We recognize that it is sometimes difficult to turn people away from big lies that gather momentum,” he added, urging senators to study her writings closely and consider her impressive resume.

A senior White House aide called the letter “a preemptive strike” to try to head off further controversy about the nomination. “We just wanted to get our side out,” the official added.

Guinier, 43, a longtime friend and Yale Law School classmate of President Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton, has been described by opponents as a “quota queen” and advocate of reverse racial discrimination.

Her seeming advocacy of minority preferences also has raised the ire of some Jewish groups, who historically have resisted reverse discrimination, believing it tends to work against Jews in hiring, promotion and university admissions practices.