Lugar expresses support for Clinton

WASHINGTON—Richard G. Lugar, the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations committee, said yesterday that he intended to vote in favor of Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, but he said important questions remain over how she and her husband, former president Bill Clinton, will deal with potential conflicts of interest while she serves as the nation's top diplomat.

"I would vote in favor of Senator Clinton," Lugar, of Indiana, said on ABC's "This Week." "I suspect, however, that I am not alone in suggesting that there will be questions raised, and there will probably be legitimate questions."

Clinton is expected to be officially nominated for the post Monday, months after President-elect Barack Obama defeated her in a bitter primary battle. The announcement comes after lengthy negotiations with Bill Clinton over his own speaking engagements and work with his global foundation.

To clear the way for his wife to take the job, the former president agreed to allow the State Department and White House counsel to vet his speaking schedule, and to disclose the name of every contributor to the Clinton Foundation since its inception in 1997.

He also agreed to step away from the day-to-day running of the foundation during his wife's tenure, and to refuse donations from foreign governments to the Clinton Global Initiative, his annual charitable conference. He will also refrain from holding Global Initiative meetings abroad.

The former president had long refused to disclose the identities of contributors to his foundation, saying many gave money on condition that they not be identified. But after it became clear that his refusal would impede his wife's chances of becoming secretary of state, he agreed to the measures.

Yesterday, Senator Jack Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat who is a senior member on the Armed Services Committee, said the agreement Bill Clinton struck with the Obama transition team "sets up a framework of transparency and disclosure."

"I think that's a significant and important aspect of the confirmation process for Mrs. Clinton," Reed said on "This Week." "As it goes forward, I think, though, I think the presumption will be that both the Secretary of State Clinton and president, former President Clinton will be very judicious in what they take on, because there's a new dimension here. The secretary of state and the former president are married, and I think that's going to set the standard."

Both Reed and Lugar expressed support for the former president taking on a more formal foreign policy role, such as special US envoy on Kashmir, a disputed territory that has led to dangerous tension between India and Pakistan for decades. Obama has reportedly discussed the idea with the former president.

"I think he could do a great job there," Lugar said. "And for that matter, in lots of places. But, as I say, this is an unprecedented situation historically.''