Note: Owing to a recent court deceision that "Fair Use" does not cover copying an entire article, the followijg has been excerpted.
Doc: I Was Fired After Requesting Prez's Files New York Post 9/23/96 By ANDREA PEYSER DAYS before Bill Clinton became president, world-renowned physician Dr. Burton Lee, who was overseeing the transition of the White House medical unit, was abruptly ordered to pack up and leave. His crime? Lee maintains he was shown the door after a series of events sparked by his refusal to inject a poorly marked serum into the president, a charge the White House denies. But more than three years later, the president's refusal to divulge his medical history to the American people is an issue of national concern. Lee believes his own shoddy treatment seems related to official skittishness over the president's records. "I don't think anyone has ever reported this story accurately," Lee told me. In several conversations last week, Lee, 66, discussed in vivid detail his final days in Washington: Lee said his refusal to inject the mystery serum -- which he was told was for allergies -- did not lead directly to his firing. Rather, Lee believes, he was bounced because he demanded access to his patient's medical history before agreeing to treat him. The ouster came "not because necessarily I wouldn't give him the shot, but because I was asking for his medical records," Lee said. Within an hour after the matter was referred to the First Lady, Lee was told to clear out of the White House within two hours. "There isn't any question in my mind that the person who fired me was Hillary," Lee said. [SNIP] Copyright ©1996, N.Y.P. Holdings Inc.
