Quotes Database

«It isn't in the interest of the First Amendment for distortions, lies about career civil servants to be spread about. We don't know who is spreading them about. But lies and distortions have no place in our First Amendment universe.»

«At the outset, I want to emphasize that our referral never suggests that the relationship between the president and Ms. Lewinsky, in and of itself, could constitute a high crime or misdemeanor. Indeed, the referral never passes judgment on the president's relationship with Ms. Lewinsky. The propriety of a relationship is not the concern of our office.»

«The conversation between the president and Ms. Lewinsky on December 17 was a critical turning point. The evidence suggests that the president chose to engage in a criminal act -- to reach an understanding with Ms. Lewinsky that they would both make false statements under oath. At that moment, the president's intimate relationship with a subordinate employee was transformed. It was transformed into an unlawful effort to thwart the judicial process. This was no longer an issue of private conduct.»

«We contacted Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder within 48 hours after Ms. Tripp provided us information ... About Ms. Tripp's tapes and the questions concerning their legality under state law. About the consensual FBI recording of Ms. Tripp and Ms. Lewinsky. About the indications that Vernon Jordan was providing employment assistance to a witness who had the potential to harm the president ... We discussed jurisdiction. We noted that it is in everyone's interest to avoid time-consuming jurisdictional challenges.»

«The office where I serve has achieved a superb record in courts ... We go to court and not on the talk show circuit. And our records show that there is a bright line between law and politics, between courts and polls. It leaves the polls to the politicians and the spin doctors. We are officers of the court who live in the world of law. We have presented our cases in court and, with very rare exception, we have won.»

«Major decisions during the Lewinsky investigation have not been easy. And given the hurricane force winds swirling about us, we were well aware that no matter what decision we made, criticism would come from somewhere.»

«No one ever asked me to lie and I was never promised a job for my silence.»

«A compassionate and decent society has to ensure that a death penalty regime is as error-free as humanly possible and as fair as humanly possible. The fact that evidence would be destroyed where additional testing could be done is extraordinary and, frankly, outrageous.»

«moving very quickly and we've made very significant progress.»

«We try to carry on this investigation in a most professional way,»