The widow of Larry Lawrence, a Democratic contributor who lied about military service and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, condemned on Thursday charges she had an affair with President Bill Clinton as “outrageous and scandalous lies.”
Shelia Davis Lawrence of San Diego said in a statement issued here she would pursue “every legal action possible” against conservative columnist Arianna Huffington, who in a New York Post column wrote about “long-standing allegations that Shelia Lawrence had an affair with the president beginning in 1992.”
“These are outrageous and scandalous lies,” Lawrence said. “Arianna Huffington has never contacted me or given me an opportunity to respond to these lies because she has never been interested in the truth. She has shown a reckless disregard for the truth.”
Huffington’s allegations came as Clinton denied charges that he had an affair with a White House intern, Monica Lewinsky, 24.
Larry Lawrence, a major Democratic donor, died in 1996 while U.S. ambassador to Switzerland and was buried at Arlington, the most hallowed ground for American war dead.
A State Department investigation last month, however, found out he had lied about his military record as a member of the U.S. Merchant Marine in the Second World War. His body was disinterred and reburied in California.
Shelia Lawrence reportedly has been subpoenaed to give sworn testimony to attorneys gathering material for use in Paula Jones’ sexual harassment case against Clinton.
Opening more fire at Huffington, Mrs. Lawrence said: “There is absolutely no basis for her accusations, just irresponsible rumor and gossip. She has done irreparable harm to my reputation and my husband’s memory. It is time to hold her accountable for her destructive behavior.”
She added: “I intend to pursue every legal action possible against Arianna Huffington in an effort to stop her from damaging the lives of innocent people in the future.”
Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.
Reviewed by: Michael Howard