As Republicans and Democrats wrangled behind closed doors over whether to release the videotape of President Clinton's grand jury testimony and other graphic material, fears increased on Capitol Hill that a "sexual witch-hunt" was underway for politicians hiding extra-marital affairs.
The Judiciary Committee met for eight hours yesterday on Capitol Hill without reaching agreement. A decision is expected today. Meanwhile, the Republican leadership in Congress called for an FBI investigation into charges that the White House is engaged on a campaign to intimidate members of Congress critical of President Clinton. This followed the revelation of a 30-year-old extra-marital affair by the most respected Republican member, Mr Henry Hyde.
The White House has denied any role in the revelation concerning Mr Hyde, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
President Clinton, who insisted on Wednesday that he will carry on in spite of the storm raised by the Starr report, continued his fundraising efforts in Cincinnati and Boston. He told his audience that they should not be concerned about the state of his marriage. "Hillary and I, we're doing fine," he said. As he flew there yesterday, Wall Street took another big 209-point plunge.
The controversial videotape may be released with masses of other material backing up the Starr report. Some of the material, such as the transcripts, is said to be even more sexually graphic than the details in the report which have shocked so many people. The videotape is said to show President Clinton getting angry and evasive.
Democrats on the Judiciary Committee were arguing yesterday that it would be unfair to President Clinton to release the videotape, and that a transcript of his testimony should be enough. Most of the debate was about the editing of the other transcripts of grand jury testimony to exclude the sexually explicit material and names and personal details of people who are regarded as "bystanders" in the investigation by the independent counsel, Mr Ken Starr.
As the committee met in private, the majority whip in the House, Mr Tom DeLay, announced that the Republican leadership had written to the director of the FBI, Mr Louis Freeh, asking him to investigate whether anyone "inside or outside the White House had made efforts to undermine" the work of the committee. This kind of intimidation, if proved, would be a breach of federal law, MrDeLay said. The Republican indignation was sparked off by the publication in an on-line magazine called Salon of details of the Hyde extramarital relationship. Salon is regarded as sympathetic to the e White House. But the White House stated that any official discovered to be engaged in this kind of activity would be "fired".