Leach Fans Embers Of Clinton's Past Deeds

PUBLIC attention has waned on the Whitewater affair, and the leading House pursuer of the issue, Rep. Jim Leach (R) of Iowa, has a quieter, wearier demeanor these days.

But his determination to achieve full disclosure on the affair has not abated a bit, he argued at a Monitor breakfast on May 17. He has adopted a lower key in recent weeks, he says, because he has ``become increasingly saddened by this [matter].''

Mr. Leach entered a lawsuit last week against the administration - specifically the Resolution Trust Corporation and the Office of Thrift Supervision - to turn over all information regarding the resolution of Arkansas-based Madison Guaranty Savings and Loan, owned by the Clintons' former business partner in Whitewater.

The House Banking Committee has received three or four of the 250 boxes of documents involved in Whitewater, Leach says.

``I thought [Whitewater] was a one- to three-week issue,'' Leach says, and the whole affair would be aired and Clinton would put any embarrassment behind him.

``We are continuing to gather material, and with each passing week our case becomes more fortified,'' he says. The evidence makes a strong case, he alleges, that the Clintons benefited from Whitewater in contrast to their statements.