A federal appeals court upheld a lawsuit
against Hillary Clinton and others for defamation and conspiracy. Now the
litigant, Gennifer Flowers, may get to proceed with a
trial, including discovery and depositions against Senator Clinton.
The possibility of a deposition looms ominously. A deposition very nearly
cost her husband, former President Bill Clinton, the presidency almost five
years ago.
At that time, Paula Jones
claimed that President Clinton, while governor of
During the 1992 presidential campaign, Flowers played a tape recording of
conversations she said she held with Bill Clinton. Two of his advisors,
James Carville and George Stephanopoulos, rebutted the allegation of infidelity
by saying that Flowers had doctored the tapes.
Now, Flowers has sued Carville and Stephanopoulos for statements they
made. She has also sued Hillary Clinton for conspiring with the advisors
to defame her.
Jones narrowly avoided the statute of limitations by filing her suit just less
than three years after the alleged incident. A federal district judge
threw out Flowers’ suit for that very reason before the appeals court
overturned their ruling.
So why does Flowers pursue this suit?
It can’t be to restore her reputation. Before playing those tapes, she
sang at a cabaret bar. Now, she runs a restaurant with her husband and
has authored a book about Bill Clinton. Besides, many people do not
recall that
It can’t be about Carville, Stephanopoulos and Bill Clinton. Political
advisors make a living by rebutting allegations about their bosses. As
for the former president, Flowers did not name him as a defendant.
That leaves Hillary Clinton as the target. With the next presidential
election a couple of years away, Flowers will pursue her suit against Hillary
Clinton before it takes place. She could do to Senator Clinton what Jones
did to President Clinton: put a public figure under oath, ask questions about
embarrassing topics and get an answer that contradicts what someone else said.
Why does Flowers want to depose Hillary Clinton?
She may not care. The real question is: who is behind this suit?
Paula Jones received legal funding from conservative political organizations
like the Rutherford Institute. Flowers, who said Republicans asked her to
come forward in 1992, may also get a boost from partisan sources.
Then, it will not be a matter of how far Flowers will go, but how far the