BY KELLY P. KISSEL
The Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- The deposition behind the impeachment inquiry against President Clinton will be in the batch of evidence a federal judge will begin releasing in less than two weeks as she relaxes her gag order in the Paula Jones case.
U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright said Thursday she will begin releasing evidence from Mrs. Jones' sexual harassment lawsuit on the court's Internet site Oct. 19.
In the file is Mr. Clinton's Jan. 17 deposition that is central to an impeachment inquiry. Mr. Clinton is alleged to have lied in the deposition; he has said his answers were technically correct. While Judge Wright intends to release a transcript of Mr. Clinton's testimony, a videotape will remain under seal. The judge said, however, that members of Congress can do whatever they want with a copy of the tape she gave the House Judiciary Committee last month.
"This court did not place any restrictions on the Judiciary Committee's utilization of the videotape in its impeachment inquiry and does not do so today," Judge Wright wrote in a footnote to her order.
Judge Wright imposed a gag order last October, saying she was worried about tainting a potential jury. After leaked information indicated Mr. Clinton might have lied in his deposition, media groups sued to get access.
The judge ruled against the media, but after tossing out Mrs. Jones' lawsuit April 1, agreed to reconsider the decision as suggested by a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals.
The court said it would try to coordinate the release of documents so that any piece of information that might be detrimental to one side would be balanced with the release of similar documents about the other.
Mrs. Jones claims that Mr. Clinton propositioned her in 1991, when she was an Arkansas state worker and he was governor.
Judge Wright dismissed Mrs. Jones' lawsuit, claiming that even if her allegations had been true, she could not prove sexual harassment in the workplace and claim damages.
Mrs. Jones appealed and the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals is to hear arguments in St. Paul, Minn., Oct. 20 on whether to reinstate the case. Lawyers for Mrs. Jones and Mr. Clinton have discussed settling the case.
