Library clash may put Bush under oath

DALLAS (AP) — A Texan is trying to put a former president under oath and find out what he knew and when he knew it. But the issue isn’t national security, political skullduggery or a sex scandal.

It’s a property dispute involving George W. Bush’s presidential library at Southern Methodist University.

Gary Vodicka, who was forced out of his condominium by SMU to make way for the project, contends the university coveted the property as the future site of the library even before Bush ran for the White House, and lied about its intentions.

On April 17, a Texas district judge ordered the former president to appear at a deposition to answer Vodicka’s questions about the library’s planning stages.

“I was humbled by the ruling,” said Vodicka, 49, a lawyer who is representing himself in the case against SMU. “No one person is supposed to be above the law. And Bush is trying to act like he is.”

The order has been stayed pending an appeal, but if it stands, it could be historic: No sitting or former president ever has been forced to testify in a state court proceeding, according to John Martin, one of Bush’s attorneys.

Martin and an SMU attorney expressed confidence that the order would be overturned, saying the former president has no information of value to offer in the dispute.

The lawsuit centers on SMU’s acquisition of University Gardens, a run-down, 40-year-old condominium complex across the street from the university.