President Clinton, under growing pressure from members of his own party, reversed course Wednesday and asked for a special counsel to investigate his involvement in a failed Arkansas land deal.
White House officials - while discounting questions about his role in the Whitewater deal as groundless - said Clinton bowed to the demands because the issue was threatening to overwhelm him.
"The Clintons have been subject to a barrage of innuendo, political posturing and irresponsible accusations," said aide George Stephanopoulos.
White House counsel Bernard Nussbaum asked Attorney General Janet Reno to appoint a "respected, impartial and qualified attorney" to investigate and "report to the American people."
Reno, who had earlier resisted the investigation, immediately agreed to the president's request and said she would appoint someone "ruggedly independent" to report to her.
Neither Reno nor the White House would say how long the probe would take or its scope.
The questions surround Clinton and wife Hillary Rodham Clinton's roles in the land deal and failure of an Arkansas savings and loan that cost taxpayers at least $ 47 million.
Clinton, traveling in Europe, refused to discuss the issue several times during the day. He abruptly ended one interview, saying: "I'm sorry you're not interested in this trip."
He also refused to talk with ABC's Nightline despite an agreement that the show would have daily access for special behind-the-scenes coverage.
White House aides were openly disdainful of the need for any investigation. They said it was driven by Republican operatives and the media.
"This is all Washington b--- s---," said political adviser James Carville. "They'll come back in five, six months and say nothing was there."
"The nation's news media wanted this," he said. "And if it was up to me, I would send them all a bill for this."
Clinton made the decision Wednesday after learning that at least 10 Democratic lawmakers had joined the push.
