Burton Taking Bipartisan Fire for His Actions
In public and private, Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) came under bipartisan criticism Tuesday for his handling of the probe into President Clinton’s 1996 election campaign. House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) invited GOP critics to take complaints directly to Burton.
Several GOP sources said there was grumbling at the weekly, closed-door leadership meeting over the controversy that has erupted over the release of taped jailhouse phone calls involving Whitewater figure Webster Hubbell.
These sources added that one participant at the meeting, Rep. Rick Lazio (R-N.Y.), said Burton’s comments--he recently called Clinton a “scumbag”--and the furor over the Hubbell transcripts had been counterproductive.
Democrats have complained that Burton released selectively edited transcripts that put Hubbell in the worst possible light.
In public, Gingrich sought to turn the public’s attention toward the White House, saying officials were trying to “spin away” from troublesome comments contained on the Hubbell tapes.
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