Senator Rules Out First Lady’s Testimony For Now

The chairman of the Senate Whitewater investigation Tuesday ruled out calling Hillary Rodham Clinton as a witness unless strong evidence emerges of her involvement in the mishandling of papers from the office of a White House aide who committed suicide two years ago.

Responding to a request that Hillary Clinton be asked to testify, Sen. Alfonse M. D’Amato, R-N.Y., said he has no intention of calling the first lady “unless there are clear and convincing facts and reasons” to do so.

The committee began Tuesday what will be weeks of intensive questioning of White House aides about whether Hillary Clinton had told aides to remove papers from the office of Vincent W. Foster, her close friend and a deputy White House counsel, before any investigators got there following his suicide. The committee also will be asking witnesses whether the first lady had participated in the decision to prevent investigators from looking at sensitive papers in the office.