The News Journal from Wilmington, Delaware • Page 17

-r-r THURSDAY, OCT. 31, 1996 THE NEWS JOURNAL A15 Biden: Clatworthy Decision on Simpson tape key denies 'push polling Loyola University Law School Dean Laurie Levenson said Lange might best be used to start bringing out the physical evidence, even though there is a down side to showing jurors the bloody gloves. "It will just bring back memories of the botched glove experiment at the first trial. But it's certainly better to put the glove in Lange 's hand than anyone because he's a credible Of the four detectives who handled the murder investigation, Lange has fared best as a witness. Mark Fuhrman pleaded no contest to perjury for lying during the trial; Philip Vannatter was cused of lying on the search war rant request at Simpson's home; and Ron Phillips was forced to recant part of his testimony about his phone call to Simpson a few hours after the stabbings.

Still, Levenson said there's a danger to going over too much old material. "Everyone knows the story," said Levenson, who has attended both trials. "You have to set out the facts in the civil trial. But if you could go to the jury now and ask them what they want to hear, they'd probably say, 'Just tell us what's Interrogation hasn't been heard before By LINDA DEUTSCH Associated Press SANTA MONICA. Calif.

Lawyers have a key decision to make in the O.J. Simpson civil case whether to play a never-heard police interrogation tape during a detective's testimony or wait until Simpson takes the stand. Retired Detective Tom Lange helped question Simpson the morning after the slayings of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. He's scheduled to testify in the civil case Thursday, and could be used to introduce the tape. The interrogation was controversial because Simpson didn't have an attorney present when he first discussed his alibi.

The tape wasn't used in the criminal trial at which Simpson was acquitted, nor has it been released by police. Goldman's family and Ms. Simpson's estate are suing Simpson for his money, claiming he is responsi Word also spread to MBNA, which issued a written statement through spokesman David Spartin: "Any suggestion that an inflated price was paid for the home and the innuendo created by such an allegation is wholly unfounded, obviously politically motivated and deeply offensive. "We understand from Mr. Clatworthy that he had no prior knowledge of the question being used in the poll and he has informed us that he does not condone the use of such inappropriate polling questions and techniques and we believe him." McLaughlin worked for magazine publisher Steve Forbes in his unsuccessful bid for the Republican presidential nomination last winter.

He recently formed his own firm after dissolving a partnership with another Republican pollster. Mark Mellman, president of The Mellman Group a Washington, D.C., Democratic polling firm, distinguishes between two types of calls that don't strictly record the horse race aspecU of a campaign. Legitimate calls on behalf of a candidate include testing voters' Democrat Republican Joseph R. Raymond J. Biden Jr.

Clatworthy reaction to issues that might become part of a campaign. But the information describing the issues doesn't blatantly misrepresent facts. The type of calls most pollsters consider unethical include use of inaccurate information and efforts to disguise as a poll what is really an effort to sway voters, he said. The biggest distinction is whether the questioner is seeking to understand how information can be used in a campaign or is just trying to influence voters, according to Bill Dalbec, managing director of Public Opinion Strategies, a Republican polling group in Alexandria, Va. He said his firm "took a strong lead" in a letter from 17 major Republican and Democratic polling firms last spring decrying push polling.

IMmi ble for the deaths despite his acquittal on murder charges. Unlike in his criminal trial, Simpson is required to testify if called. Simpson was absent from court half of Monday and all day Tuesday. According to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, Simpson was attending to matters related to the custody dispute over his two younger children, Sydney and Justin. A new commissioner has been assigned to the custody case, and Simpson and the children's maternal grandparents Lou and Ju-ditha Brown are trying to forge an out-of-court settlement, the sources said.

Attorneys could use the tape to challenge Simpson about how he cut his hand before the interrogation. He has offered different explanations for the cut; plaintiffs contend the gouges were caused by the victims' fingernails. Lange also could introduce jurors to some of the most damaging physical evidence, which they have only seen in photographs up to now a glove, a knit cap, a blood-spattered envelope and a pair of eyeglasses. All were found near the blood-soaked bodies. SEALY The heavies! guage ad in any Sea mtm 10 YEAR NON -PRORATED WARRANTY TWIN FULL 7 fori QUEEN SET 7 for 1 KING .7 fori 369" 419" 619" SIMMONS BEAUTYREST "LA GRANDE GILBRALTER" Toe rt Clm I taiymt Cfoct ol contort 10 YEAR NON-PRORATED WARRANTY.

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Un Wednesday, his campaign issued a statement denying it had ever engaged in push polling. Asked if the statement meant the campaign wasn't behind the poll, Clatworthy press secretary Michael Flynn declined comment. "If it was done in this campaign, it was done without the candidate's knowledge," Flynn said. "We don't know what the value of Biden's house was and it is not an issue we're going to deal with in this campaign." State GOP chairman Basil Battaglia, who spent much of last week answering claims of dirty politics in the governor's race, said the innuendo spread by the poll was unwarranted. "To even suggest that Biden sold the house for much more than it was worth is crazy," Battaglia said.

Cutbill, the 23-year-old former vice president of the National College Democrats, said the caller identified herself as a McLaughlin organization pollster and claimed to be polling for a New York newspaper. John McLaughlin Associ ates, in Alexandria, Va is a firm under contract to the Clatworthy campaign. Calls to the firm seeking comment have gone unre-turned since Tuesday. Cutbill said she told the pollster she was a Biden supporter. The questioner then asked: "Would it change the way you vote if you knew What came next was the caller's version of Biden's $1.2 million home sale.

The questioner said the home was appraised for less than half of what it was sold for this year to a supporter for political favors. "It didn't leave anything to your imagination," Cutbill recalled. Another person who was polled said it was obvious the questioner wasn't doing a traditional poll. "I thought they were trying to push' the issue of the sale as hard as they could." Previous News Journal stories on the sale reported Biden bought the Montchanin-area house on three acres in 1975 for $225,000. It was part of a du Pont family estate and was in an area where a group of upscale homes was being built.

Biden provided The News Journal with a 1992 appraisal of the home by Delaware Appraisal Group for the Delaware Trust which set the value at $1.2 million. The appraisal was prompted by a 1 a oiuen plans co-sign a loan to help pay for his sons' college education, he said. Last winter, Cochran entered the picture. He was commuting from his Baltimore home to MBNA's Delaware offices and was looking for a house. He and his wife, Patricia, offered Biden and his wife Jill $1.2 million and they sold it in February.

MBNA officials, including Charles M. Cawley, president and chief executive officer of MBNA are contributors to Biden's re-election campaign. MBNA executives are also generous contributors to Republicans across the nation. Biden said he found out about the calls last week after some people who were called reported the contacts to Biden campaign headquarters. November Classes Kids Oil Painting Sandy Clay Beads Magenta Rubber Stamping Christmas Appliqued Vest Paint a Large Snowman Holiday Cross Stitch Shirt Tola Painted Christmas Bird House Tree or Table Angel Paint a Large Reindeer Tole Painted Christmas Sled Floral Christmas Wreath Silk Flower Poinsettia Shirt Christmas Iron-on Shirt Crochet for Beginners Stenciling for Beginners Air Brushing for Beginners Bowmaking Wood Burning for Beginners Rubber Stamping for Beginners and For Information Stop in Or Call In-store registration required tmtamsss BONO SPORTS MATTRESS SERTA ORTHO-CUSHION "EMPIRE" One ol our best selers.

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