Clinton Fires Back at Republican Accusations

ANCHOR: Former President Bill Clinton was in Washington to commemorate the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Only on 7, he spoke to ABC 7 News reporter Rebecca Cooper about the Bush administration, corporate wrongdoing and the Middle East.

Story:

On July 8th President Bush defended his embattled Securities and Exchange Commissioner, saying Harvey Pitt was doing his best to clean up a mess that was already in place. Today President Clinton responded to Republican charges that corporate wrongdoing started under his watch.

PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON: "These people ran on responsibility, but as soon as you scratch them they go straight to blame. Now, you know, I didn't blame his father for Somalia. ... I didn't do that. And I think that's not a real mark of leadership and it's the wrong thing to do. But in this case, it's factually wrong."

Former President Clinton says it's the Republicans who blocked his attempts to clean up corporate America and now he's criticizing President Bush for appointing Pitt.

CLINTON: "There was corporate malfeasance both before he took office and after. The difference is I actually tried to do something about it and their party stopped it. And one of the people who stopped our attempt to stop Enron accounting was made chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission."

In his one-on-one interview with ABC 7 News, former President Clinton also responded to White House criticisms of Clinton's handling of the Middle East.

CLINTON: "We had seven years of progress towards peace in the Middle East and they tried to blame me for the trouble in the Middle East. That's just what they do. Republicans have always done that. But it's bad form, and it's bad for America, and they should stop it. And they should get about the business of solving the problems."

COOPER ON SET: President Clinton told ABC 7 News he thinks the it was a mistake for the Bush Administration to disengage from the Middle East peace process, but he says the White House is doing the right thing by engaging now.

Rebecca Cooper, ABC 7 News, Washington.