Clinton’s Veracity May Figure
In Lawsuit Over Utah Monument

By William Perry Pendley

(Editor’s note: William Perry Pendley is president and chief legal officer for Mountain States Legal Foundation, a public interest law firm specializing in issues of private property and individual liberty.)

Admitted liar and President of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton — it's a heck of an introduction. But what does it mean for the country?

The first response to Clinton's address of August 17, from elected officials, professional politicians, and commentators, was incredibly narrow, ranging only from "disappointed" to "disgusted." This is hardly surprising, for despite the national cynicism about politicians in Washington D.C., truth-telling is, indeed, the coin of their realm. No politician who wants to survive, accomplish something, and have positive media coverage can afford a reputation as a liar. Too much that is done in Washington depends solely on someone's say-so.

Clinton's admission thus dooms him among those with whom he must work: not just Republicans, but Democrats, members of the media, and those serving in his administration. As to the latter group, Clinton didn't just lie to the American people while winking knowingly at his cabinet and staff; he lied to them too, compelling them to lie on his behalf. Some have asked why those so deceived and forced to "walk the plank" have not yet resigned. I have another question: how many of these people will decide they don't want to go to jail for this president, or to spend years and millions of dollars defending themselves against an independent counsel investigation for doing his bidding?

So much for Washington, but what about the real world outside the D.C. Beltway? We're told that the polls continue to give Clinton high marks for the "job he is doing," but plummeting evaluations for his personal character.

Why? In part the question itself informs the respondent that the two issues — job performance and character — are unrelated, that a president of low moral character might be doing a very good job. For all their faults, politicians and media types know this is impossible. When is a liar, for example, telling the truth?

Furthermore, under our constitutional system, the means is as important as the end. Would the public approve the accomplishment of a meritorious objective by means of lies, the suborning of perjury, and obstruction of justice?

The public's real view of Clinton comes through when pollsters ask other questions, such as whether Clinton is a good role model; should he babysit one's children; would he make a good business partner; or should he be left alone with one's young daughter? Then the public recognizes intuitively that character affects job performance. So much for Clinton's public support.

There is one final arena in which Clinton's new status as an admitted liar will have an impact: the federal court system. Much that is done in the government is based on decisions by the president. One example is President Clinton's 1996 election-eve proclamation locking up 1.7 million acres of land in Utah as the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument to kill a coal mine. Was Clinton lying when he signed the proclamation?

That question will be asked in federal court in Salt Lake City as the lawsuit challenging Clinton's decision goes to trial. Attorney General Reno's lawyers may argue that Clinton's lie was only about sex in a civil case. (In an incredible irony, Reno's attorneys bragged, in an April 1998 press release, about their successful prosecution — for obstruction of justice — of a medical doctor who lied about sex during a civil deposition.)

Yet Clinton lied, not just under oath in a lawsuit, but publicly to the American people, and not just about sex, but to avoid personal embarrassment.

Some say Clinton issued his Utah proclamation as a favor to political allies and as a payoff for huge campaign contributions; did he lie? These are tough questions, and the Utah lawsuit is only one of many that will be asking them.

President Clinton is now an admitted liar, and those who defended him by saying character didn't matter are discovering that it does.