Advisor McLarty Is Latest to Join White House Exodus

After months of scandal-induced paralysis, the second-term administration exodus clearly has resumed.

Last week, President Clinton’s budget director called it quits. On Friday, senior aide and longtime pal Thomas “Mack” McLarty announced that he, too, was leaving. And more are expected to follow.

Before allegations of sexual impropriety and cover-up rocked Clinton’s presidency early this year, several senior White House officials were planning to take advantage of the lull that inevitably accompanies a second term to move to lucrative jobs in private businesses.

The imbroglio centered on former White House intern Monica S. Lewinsky changed all that. Many Clinton lieutenants feared that if they left, they would be viewed as political rats abandoning a sinking ship of state.

But the departure of McLarty, Clinton’s first chief of staff and now special envoy to Latin America, is a clear sign that the unofficial ban has been lifted--at least for some officials.

“There’s no doubt that the playing field has altered in the last couple weeks,” said one senior White House official who had put his own career plans on hold because of the furor over Lewinsky.

While sending a letter of resignation to the president is no longer considered taboo for many officials, some key members of Clinton’s defense team still worry that it would be premature to leave.

“When any one of us leaves, people will try to read more into it than there is,” said the senior official. “Every one of us is replaceable. I guess the only one of us that ‘replaceable’ does not apply to is [White House Press Secretary Mike] McCurry.”

The official singled out McCurry because his handling of the barrage of media questions at the height of the Lewinsky story not only won him wide praise but indelibly linked him to the administration’s efforts to stay on track.

McCurry, who said he has no plans to change his job “in the near future,” said he believes that the legal troubles facing the president still enter into the picture when officials are deciding whether to leave. “It’s a case-by-case situation,” he said.

In the case of budget director Franklin D. Raines, McCurry said he had the “deal of the century thrown in [his] lap,” when the Federal National Mortgage Assn., known as Fannie Mae, offered him the position of chief executive. Although Raines’ salary was not revealed, his predecessor made $7 million last year.

McLarty, meanwhile, had delayed leaving, on the president’s request, because as special envoy for Latin America, Clinton wanted him around for the three trips to the Southern Hemisphere that Clinton has made since his second term began. McLarty said that with those behind him, he believed this was “a graceful time to make an exit.”

Also, neither Raines nor McLarty had any role in handling the legal and ethical controversies facing the president.

In normal times, a steady stream of resignations are de rigueur in second terms. After several years of an administration’s grueling pace, stress and long hours, many senior officials want to recapture other aspects of their lives, and perhaps parlay their White House credentials into an ample salary on the outside.

Ironically, the members of the staff who are experiencing the most severe combat fatigue--such as McCurry and Clinton’s other political advisors and strategists--are the ones who are still widely seen as trapped.

Before the Lewinsky story broke, McCurry, senior strategist Rahm Emanuel and presidential counselor Douglas B. Sosnik were on the list of those planning exits early this year. But none of them considers the time ripe for departure now--despite their obvious exhaustion.

“There’s a real sense of loyalty and commitment from all three of us,” Sosnik said. “We want to make sure the timing is right.”

Some political analysts suggested that if any of the three want to jump, now is the time.

“This is a good time to leave because there’s a lull in the sex scandal, and an exit now would enable a public servant to get out and make money before the Clinton administration is history,” said Larry Sabato, University of Virginia government professor.

Sabato suggested that even McCurry could announce his plans to leave, if he hurries before independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr produces his report on his probe of Clinton and delivers it to Congress.

“[McCurry] could say the worst of the storm is over,” Sabato said. “It may be that we’re only in the eye of the storm. But he could get away with it now. He couldn’t get away with it when Starr releases his report.”

Ross Baker, Rutgers University political scientist, disagreed.

“I don’t know how McCurry gets out of there other than a nervous breakdown,” Baker said. “He is clearly the pivot of the defense. He certainly is the most public face of the administration. I suspect that Rahm Emanuel will also have to stay around for a while.”