Fired Travel Office Staffers Cite White House ‘Lies’

Their voices shaking with emotion at times, the seven fired White House travel office employees accused the Clinton administration Wednesday of abusing its power when it dismissed them nearly three years ago and of continuing to spread “lies” about them, especially former director Billy Dale.

The employees told the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee that they continue to suffer White House attacks, including Dale, who was acquitted of embezzlement charges in less than two hours last November by a U.S. District Court jury.

All seven said their lives have been turned upside down by the affair. Each has gone into debt--close to $600,000 total--to pay for the lawyers they had to hire to rebut White House charges that there was gross financial mismanagement in the office.

The fired workers said they thought their troubles were over after Dale was acquitted. But the recent discovery of documents suggesting the firings were ordered by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton has brought them reluctantly back into the spotlight, they said.

The White House recently released a memorandum written by David Watkins, former director of its office of administration and management. In it, Watkins said he felt pressure coming from Hillary Clinton to fire the employees or there would be “hell to pay.”

The memo contradicted Hillary Clinton’s repeated contentions that she played “no role” in the controversial firings on May 19, 1993, that resulted in intense criticism of the White House and accusations of cronyism and misuse of the FBI by bringing in agents to investigate employees.

Since the Watkins memo surfaced, administration officials and lawyers for the Clintons have raised questions about Dale’s acquittal. They have unearthed a letter Dale’s attorney wrote to prosecutors offering that Dale would plead guilty to commingling travel office funds with his own and serve two to four months in jail.

Dale said the contents of the letter--a confidential Justice Department document--have been twisted. “The letter from my lawyer to the Justice Department made clear that I would never admit to having spent the travel office’s money on myself, because I had not done that,” he said. The Justice Department rejected the offer and Dale was indicted on two embezzlement counts.

For Dale and the others, the hearing was their first opportunity to address the committee that has been investigating the decision by the White House to fire them and replace them with Arkansas friends of the Clintons.