White House, Starr Clash in Court Over Executive Privilege
Independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr and White House lawyers squared off Friday over the invoking of executive privilege to block the testimony of key presidential aides.
The closed hearing before Chief U.S. District Judge Norma Holloway Johnson represented a sharp escalation of the battle between the White House and Starr in the 2-month-old grand jury investigation.
Among those attending the session was Neil Eggleston, a private lawyer selected by the White House to handle the executive privilege issue. Also present were White House Counsel Charles F.C. Ruff, presidential aide Bruce Lindsey, President Clinton’s lawyer David E. Kendall, and an attorney for White House aide Sidney Blumenthal.
Starr was accompanied by eight other lawyers from his office.
None of the participants would comment afterward on what was said during the hearing.
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