Perot’s Disclosure Request Refused But Despite Federal Judge’s Ruling, There’s Plenty Of Debate Over Who Can Take Part In Presidential Debates

A federal judge refused Ross Perot’s request Wednesday to order a special commission to disclose all records in its decision to invite only President Clinton and Bob Dole to next month’s presidential debates.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan said the request would put an undue burden on the panel, which is planning the debates and preparing for a hearing Tuesday on Perot’s initial lawsuit.

The ruling came on a day full of developments over the forums, including:

Dole chided Clinton for putting off their first face-off. “I’m ready, I was ready. I’m here,” Dole said teasingly in St. Louis, site of what would have been the first presidential debate. “But President Clinton is somewhere else.”

Some students at the Dole rally, using clucking chicken toys, accused the Republican of being afraid to debate Perot. “No, we’re not scared of Perot,” Dole shot back. “No. Never, no, no.”

The Clinton camp said Dole had taken too long to sign the debate agreement that the campaigns worked out last week. Clinton said, “There’ll be debates. I’m sure of it.”

Perot was scheduled to give a speech in St. Louis several hours after Dole left. The Dallas businessman was expected to press his arguments that he should be included in the debates, scheduled Oct. 6 and Oct. 19. A vice-presidential debate is scheduled Oct. 9.

His lawsuit argues that the debate commission’s decision to exclude him represents illegal corporate contributions to the Democratic and Republican campaigns.

The commission said the debates are limited to candidates who have a realistic chance to win the election. National public opinion polls put Perot’s support in single digits.

The National Rainbow Coalition, the civil rights organization founded by the Rev. Jesse Jackson, said Wednesday it would file a friend-of-the-court brief supporting Perot’s position.

Jackson said at a news conference in Washington that he still supported Clinton for re-election, but believes the Reform Party nominee should be allowed to debate.

“We cannot allow a small, unelected, elite group of decision-makers to arbitrarily restrict the choice of the voters,” Jackson said.

With a hearing set for Tuesday, attorneys for Perot sought memos, notes and corporate contribution lists from the private commission. The attorneys said they hoped to prove that corporations persuaded the commission to exclude Perot because of his opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement and other free-trade pacts. “It’s at the heart of our claim,” said attorney Samuel Lanham.