Starr Drops Bid For Hubbell Notes

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, Aug. 28) -- Whitewater prosecutors have dropped their attempt to get the unpublished memoirs and notes of former Justice Department official Webster Hubbell.

In the face of opposition from publisher William Morrow and Co., Whitewater prosecutors have backed off a broad subpoena issued Aug. 8. But the publishing house has agreed to turn over financial documents that detail Hubbell's $400,000 contract to write "Friends in High Places."

The parties continue to disagree on whether a publisher has a right under the First Amendment to protect notes and unpublished, editorial materials from disclosure.

Morrow's lawyer, Victor A. Kovner, told The New York Times the outcome was "an important victory for publishers everywhere."

Hubbell, a longtime friend of President Bill Clinton, served 18 months in prison for mail fraud and tax evasion in a case involving overbilling of law clients.

Starr's investigation has focused on whether members of the Clinton Administration helped Hubbell find work in exchange for his silence about Whitewater-related matters.

In Other News:

Thursday Aug. 28, 1997

E-mail From Washington:
• White House Resists Turning Over Espy Documents