Executive Privilege in the Lewinsky Scandal: Giving a Good Doctrine a Bad Name

Rozell, Mark J., Presidential Studies Quarterly

Executive privilege is the right of the president and high executive branch officers to withhold information from Congress, the courts, and ultimately the public. It is now a well-established constitutional power--one with a long-standing history in American government going back to the George Washington administration. Yet, for most people, the mere mention of executive privilege conjures up images of Watergate and President Richard Nixon's attempt to use that doctrine to obstruct justice.

It is therefore no surprise that the Clinton administration ignited a firestorm of controversy by signaling its intention to use executive privilege in the Monica Lewinsky investigation to shield the content of presidential and White House staff discussions from Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr. Media accounts made the most of the Nixon analogy, placing the White House in the difficult--but perhaps well-deserved--position of having to defend its use of this little understood presidential power.

At its core, the president's claim of executive privilege as to discussions he may have had with Deputy White House Counsel Bruce Lindsay, Deputy White House Chief of Staff John Podesta, and White House aide Sidney Blumenthal--and any of their discussions with First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton--failed on two fronts. First, regarding allegations of obstruction of justice growing out of a sex scandal, the president cannot persuasively claim the protection of a shield designed to protect only communications about official government business. Second, a consistent policy thread runs throughout the historical development of executive privilege law--a thread that was absent from Clinton's claim. That is, from George Washington forward, it has been recognized that executive privilege should be invoked only where it would be in the public interest. Clinton's bid to protect White House conversations appeared to have more to do with saving his reputation than safeguarding the public weal.

Executive Privilege in History

Executive privilege is a controversial power in large part because it is never mentioned in the Constitution. In fact, the phrase "executive privilege" was not even coined until the Eisenhower administration.

Historic …

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Publication information: Article title: Executive Privilege in the Lewinsky Scandal: Giving a Good Doctrine a Bad Name. Contributors: Rozell, Mark J. - Author. Journal title: Presidential Studies Quarterly. Volume: 28. Issue: 4 Publication date: Fall 1998. Page number: 816. © 1999 Center for the Study of the Presidency. COPYRIGHT 1998 Gale Group.

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