Clinton Camp Denies Alleged Sex Assault

President Clinton’s spokesman and his personal attorney on Friday denied a published account in which an Arkansas woman, Juanita Broaddrick, contends she was sexually assaulted by Clinton 20 years ago while he was the state’s attorney general.

Clinton’s personal attorney, David E. Kendall, said Friday in a statement released by the White House: “Any allegation that the president assaulted Ms. Broaddrick more than 20 years ago is absolutely false. Beyond that we are not going to comment.”

Broaddrick’s account of the alleged attack appeared in Friday’s opinion pages of the Wall Street Journal. Broaddrick said Clinton forced her to have sex when they went to her hotel room for coffee.

White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart was dismissive of the story.

“I spend very little time reading the Wall Street Journal editorial page,” Lockhart told reporters. “They lost me after they accused the president of being a drug smuggler and a murderer.”

When Paula Corbin Jones’ attorneys first subpoenaed her in their sexual harassment lawsuit against the president, Broaddrick swore out an affidavit and testified in a deposition that Clinton did not make unwelcome sexual advances.

Broaddrick later recanted that sworn testimony under a promise of immunity from independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr, saying she lied initially because she did not want to be drawn into the case against the president.