BY PAUL BARTON
Enquirer Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- Republicans and Democrats alike said Friday that while there were no stunning revelations, they were deeply troubled and distressed by details in the report by Kenneth Starr, the Whitewater independent counsel.
But while Democrats were reluctant to defend President Clinton's behavior, the initial reaction from both parties suggested that partisan battle lines were beginning to emerge:
Democrats accused Mr. Starr of dwelling on lurid sexual details, and Republicans sought to shift the debate to the report's conclusions about perjury, obstruction of justice and witness tampering.
"The misjudgments of the president are nearly equaled by the need of Kenneth Starr to provide a level of sexual detail beyond what was necessary to make his point or establish his case," said Sen. Robert Torricelli, D-N.J.
But Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, who is a member of the House Judiciary Committee, said he was particularly concerned by the other evidence. "The allegations are far more serious than I had anticipated," he said.
Hatch defends Starr
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, also sought to dispel the notion that the report was only about sex. "Some will try to make this just purely a sexual matter," he said. ". . . I don't see anything that I've read so far that indicates that Judge Starr is saying that he should be impeached because of the sexual relationship."
Some Republicans said they wished Mr. Starr had written more broadly about other issues that had been under investigation. "The allegation of abuse of office could yet be strengthened by evidence of the president's role in Travelgate and Filegate and the other matters under the jurisdiction of the independent counsel," said Rep. Rick Lazio, R-N.Y. "The sexual part of it, the unseemly part, gives us pause, but that is not a ground for impeachment. But the other stuff potentially is."
Rep. Ted Strickland, D-Lucasville, said: "I think according to the president's own definition he has (sinned). The question is: When does sin become an impeachable offense?"
Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Cincinnati, the only Tristate member of the House Judiciary Committee, said, "Certainly in the little bit I've read so far, it is extremely disturbing the conduct that allegedly has been carried out in the Oval Office and the alleged perjury and obstruction following that. All of that is very, very disturbing."
One of the few Democrats who spoke out forcefully in defense of Mr. Clinton was Rep. Robert Wexler of Florida, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, who sought to portray the report as preoccupied with sex.
"Let's not make more of it than it is," he said. ". . . The president lied about an extramarital affair -- let's put this in context." Meanwhile, Rep. Rob Portman, R-Terrace Park, became the first member of the Tristate delegation to suggest Mr. Clinton consider resigning.
"I think the president ought to seriously consider sparing the country from going through with what seems almost certain to be a drawn-out impeachment process," he said.
The New York Times contributed to this report
