After working on a special committee that investigated the Whitewater scandal, Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, has now been appointed to another committee investigating Democratic fund-raising improprieties.
Bennett was appointed this week to the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee as a temporary replacement - probably for at least the rest of the year.Bennett said its fund-raising probes demand an extraordinary amount of time. So GOP leaders wanted to temporarily excuse two members - Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, and Finance Committee Chairman William Roth, R-Del.
"The leadership just said the time burden was so demanding that they couldn't ask the chairmen of the Senate's most important committees to carry that. So I'll step in for Ted Stevens," Bennett said.
Meanwhile, Sen. Bob Smith, R-N.H., will also step in for Roth.
Bennett said he learned how much time the new assignment may consume when he went to his first meeting on the committee Thursday evening - and it took 31/2 hours.
It is looking at actions ranging from the possible use and sale of government facilities - such as the White House Lincoln bedroom - to reward donors, to possible solicitation of illegal donations.
Bennett was also on the special Whitewater committee that looked at questionable land deals involving President Clinton and close associates when he was governor of Arkansas.
"There are some similarities in the cases," Bennett said. "The differences are this one has to do with activities while the president was president. Whitewater began back in the years when he was governor.
"Any ties with his presidency had to do with possible cover-ups. This new one deals with possible illegalities while he was president, and during a presidential campaign," Bennett said.