Nearly Half Polled Believe First Lady Broke the Law

NEW YORK —  Nearly half of respondents answering a poll believe Hillary Rodham Clinton did something illegal in the Whitewater and travel office affairs, and about half think she and President Clinton lied about their roles in those situations, said a Time magazine/CNN poll released Friday.

The poll also found that the president has lost some ground to Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.) in the race for the White House, but still leads.

Forty-seven percent of 1,000 adults surveyed by telephone Wednesday and Thursday believe the first lady did something illegal, Time said. Thirty-one percent believe she did not do anything illegal and 22% said they are not sure.

Asked whether they thought Hillary Clinton had lied about her role in those matters, 52% said yes, 27% said no and 21% are not sure.

Her husband fared slightly better. Forty-nine percent believe Clinton has lied about his role in the two cases, compared with 32% who believe he has told the truth and 19% who are unsure.

In the presidential sweepstakes, 47% of registered voters polled said they would vote for Clinton if the election were held today, while 41% said they would vote for Dole.

That compares to 52% for Clinton last month, but is virtually the same as a Time/CNN poll in November. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.