Hume: Clintons' "ability to withhold information from the public extends ... to the University of Arkansas library"

During the "Grapevine" segment of the November 6 edition of Fox News' Special Report, Fox News Washington managing editor and host Brit Hume asserted: "The Clintons' ability to withhold information from the public extends not just to the Clinton Presidential Library it seems, but also to the University of Arkansas library as well. Four enormous binders of data about the Clinton presidency -- and [Sen.] Hillary Clinton's [D-NY] role in it -- apparently will not be released to the public by the university library before next year's election." However, Hume provided no evidence of "[t]he Clintons' ability to withhold" from the public documents held by the University of Arkansas library. Indeed, as Hume later acknowledged: "The Clinton campaign says it has not had any contact with the University of Arkansas about delaying the release of the papers." In a November 6 ABCNews.com article on the papers, which Hume cited during his report, ABC News senior national correspondent Jake Tapper reported: " 'It's not a conspiracy,' [Tom] Dillard [head of the University of Arkansas Special Collections Department] told ABC News. No representative of the Clintons has been in touch with the Library, he said. 'No, absolutely not. No political campaign has been in touch with us. Nor have any individuals been in touch with us asking us to do anything different from what we would normally do.' "

Additionally, Hume claimed:

HUME: Last month, the library said the papers would not be made public until 2009 because they were not yet processed. But the library's annual report for '05-'06 says the processing is, quote, "nearing completion," and, one year later, the library newsletter said the Blair papers were, quote, "previously processed."

While Hume claimed that the university library's newsletter said the "papers were, quote, 'previously processed,' " the newsletter simply stated that university archivist Kerry Jones "previously processed the papers of the late Diane Blair." Tapper wrote that this "implied the job has been completed." However, Tapper also quoted Dillard saying: "All I can say is that was a preliminary estimation and neither of the collections that were reported on are finished, neither Blair nor Congressman Hutchinson's papers"; "They're just not ready."

The newsletter reported:

The Special Collections Department is gearing up to begin processing its largest manuscript collection, the papers of former U. S. Congressman John Paul Hammerschmidt. These records, more than 1,400 boxes of materials, document Hammerschmidt's 26-year tenure as the representative for Arkansas' third district, 1967-1993.

According to Timothy G. Nutt, the manuscripts and rare books librarian in the Special Collections Department, a staff of three processing archivists as well as an intern from the Honors College have been hired to process the collection. Leading the processing is Felicia Thomas, who previously worked on the papers of another former third-district congressman, Asa Hutchinson. Other processors are Kerry Jones, who previously processed the papers of the late Diane Blair, and Case Minor, a history graduate student. Will Puddephatt, an Honors College junior majoring in German and history, will serve as the project intern.

The library's '06-'07 annual report, which appears to cover the time period from June 30, 2006, to June 30, 2007, indicated that library staff worked on the Blair papers during that period:

The Libraries had the assistance of four Honors College interns this year in Special Collections. They assisted manuscript processors in working on various manuscript projects, including the Diane Blair Papers, the John Paul Hammerschmidt Papers, the Fay Jones Collection, the Larry Vonalt Papers, Cynthia Rodes Smith Correspondence, Henry and Katie Wood Collection, John M. Page Correspondence, the 20th Century Club Collection.

From the November 6 edition of Fox News' Special Report with Brit Hume:

HUME: The Clintons' ability to withhold information from the public extends not just to the Clinton Presidential Library it seems, but also to the University of Arkansas library as well. Four enormous binders of data about the Clinton presidency -- and Hillary Clinton's role in it -- apparently will not be released to the public by the university library before next year's election.

ABC News reports the information was compiled by Clinton friend Diane Blair for a book, but Blair never wrote it and passed away in 2000. The Clintons have one copy of the papers, the other's at the university.

Last month, the library said the papers would not be made public until 2009 because they were not yet processed. But the library's annual report for '05-'06 says the processing is, quote, "nearing completion," and, one year later, the library newsletter said the Blair papers were, quote, "previously processed."

The Clinton campaign says it has not had any contact with the University of Arkansas about delaying the release of the papers.