Third White House Lawyer Quits; Gore Aide To Take Over

White House counsel Abner Mikva resigned Tuesday, becoming the third presidential lawyer to step aside as President Clinton continues to grapple with personal legal problems.

The announcement was made here during a crosscountry political trip by Clinton shortly before a statement was issued at the White House saying that Mikva had decided to retire to spend more time with his family.

The statement said his resignation will take effect Nov. 1 and that he will be replaced by Jack Quinn, Vice President Al Gore’s chief of staff.

Administration officials traveling with Clinton attributed Mikva’s decision to the fact that he was “tired,” as one put it, “of the schedule and demands” of his White House job.

Mikva said he was “running out of gas” and had told Clinton in July that he would be leaving in the fall.

Mikva, 69, a former congressman from Chicago and a former federal appeals court judge in Washington, D.C., took over as White House counsel from Lloyd Cutler in October 1994.

Since then, much of his time has been spent dealing with inquiries about the ongoing federal investigation of the president’s dealings in the Whitewater land development deal.

In addition, he has had to manage inquiries about the sexual harassment lawsuit that was filed against Clinton last year by Paula Jones.