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David Brooks and Susan Estrich

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The Explosion at Mount Stuart

By Susan Estrich
Posted Tuesday, June 23, 1998, at 3:59 PM ET

Dear Everyone:

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I'm not drawing conspiratorial references, Stu, so don't get your back out of whack. (For Stuart Taylor's response to my comments on his cocktail rendez-vous click here.) I think I was pretty clear that the worst I thought we were seeing was two guys doing their jobs, whether they were friends or not, and there is nothing wrong with that except if you think there is something wrong with the public trial of presidents for sex offenses, which I do.

Of course the office of the independent counsel is still talking to the press, and if you live in Washington, every conversation is loaded. I had dinner with Mickey Kantor. We're friends too. I got calls from the press about advising the Clinton legal team. I laughed.

I have never attacked Stuart's ethics, and I didn't here, but I have very little patience for the kind of transactional journalism that has been practiced in this case, with each side favoring certain reporters with tidbits of information which in turn get presented, usually in an unduly favorable or unfavorable light, to whoever provided it. I have no doubt both sides brief whoever will talk to them before Sunday show appearances, as they should, if you're in this kind of battle, which I would say we as a country should not be.

So, Stu, sorry if it sounds conspiratorial, but you must admit, it's a Washington story.

Susan

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