Man’s claim of Clinton confrontation gets spotlight

Although the man says the ex-president’s elbow hit the man’s face, others at the rally dispute that.

GATEHOUSE NEWS SERVICE

CANTON — A Canton man’s claim that former President Clinton had physical contact with him during a confrontational exchange Sunday has become fodder for the national media.

The incident at a campaign rally at Timken High School involving Robert J. Holeman, 48, has been featured on cable news networks and news sites.

The former president was in town to promote the presidential candidacy of his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, the New York senator who’s seeking the Democratic presidential nomination against Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.

The tense discussion took place after Bill Clinton addressed a crowd in the school gymnasium. Holeman, who angered Clinton supporters by repeatedly screaming “Obama!” during the rally, said he went up to confront the former president.

He said he told Clinton, “The negative campaigning is not presidential. It’s unbecoming of a former president of the United States. It’s unbecoming of a senior stateswoman.”

He said Clinton responded angrily, saying Holeman wasn’t there when Obama talked about his wife. Holeman claims Clinton’s elbow then collided with Holeman’s face, when the former president reached out to shake someone’s hand. Holeman said he believes the act was likely intentional. He said a Secret Service agent gently pulled back Clinton’s arm.

An NBC news reporter, who saw the two talk, later interviewed Holeman. But the reporter, in an MSNBC article, wrote that it was unclear whether there was physical contact.

On Monday morning, MSNBC host Joe Scarborough told his audience, “[Bill Clinton] went after a guy in Ohio. Guy claimed that Bill Clinton actually popped him in the face. It looks [like based on several incidents that] ... Bill Clinton is a bit out of control.”

CNN analyst Errol Louis said, “something like this doesn’t help that image” of the Clinton campaign, while Fox News Channel hosts Sean Hannity and John Gibson sought to interview Holeman.

At least four people, including Randy Feemster, the president of the Timken Co. union local, said the incident as Holeman described never happened. They say Clinton was civil with Holeman, and that Clinton never touched him.

No videos, photographs or eyewitness accounts have emerged corroborating Holeman’s story. The Clinton campaign says no physical contact took place, while an Obama spokesman said Holeman has no connection to Obama’s campaign.

Holeman maintained the contact occurred, saying it happened so quickly and subtly that no one may have noticed.

Five people said that, after the speech, Holeman shoved and threatened people to get to Clinton.

David Westrich, 40, of Akron, said Holeman pushed people into his mother’s wheelchair. Holeman denies pushing or threatening anyone and said people tried to prevent him from moving to the front, including a man he says challenged him to a fight outside. He said if he had made threats, the Secret Service wouldn’t have let him near Clinton.

“I heard on the news that President Clinton hit this man. He didn’t,” said Andrea Burns of Canton, Ohio, who was angry that the confrontation was taking up time where Clinton could have talked to her and others.

Andrew Hayes, 30, of Canton, said Holeman shoved him and his wife out of the way. He said it made him feel sick that Hannity wanted to interview Holeman.

“He starts talking real aggressively to President Clinton. ... He’s like shouting at him. ... President Clinton obviously got a little upset with him. ... I said to the guy ... ‘you’re ruining this for everyone.’”

Feemster’s brother, Rick Feemster, 56, of Canton, who was right next to Clinton, said Holeman rudely accused Clinton of being rude to Obama in South Carolina. He said Clinton challenged him to cite examples, and Holeman could not.

“Former President Clinton was very professional,” said Rick Feemster. “He didn’t raise his voice to the guy. ... President Clinton kept his cool through the whole thing.”

Holeman said he’s not registered to vote because he doesn’t want to make his address public and indicated that he’s concerned about his safety. He said he was the victim of racist assaults repeatedly when he was a student at several college campuses in the 1980s.

After his interview with The Canton Repository, Holeman, who denied he’s seeking attention, ran into a woman he knew.

“Did you see me in the paper? I’m in the paper!” he said.