MARTHA'S SALAD DAZE By BILL HOFFMANN
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NO WAY, JANE: CBS's Jane Clayson tries to grill cabbage queen Martha Stewart.
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With Congress, the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission probing the ImClone insider-trading scandal, Martha Stewart wants to focus on more important matters - like salad.
The domestic diva brusquely brushed off questions about insider trading yesterday to concentrate on whipping up a tasty chicken and cabbage salad on national TV.
Stewart appeared on CBS's "The Early Show," and repeatedly tried to wiggle out of talking about her suspicious sale of ImClone stock one day before it tanked.
"I want to focus on my salad," Stewart told host Jane Clayson, as she chopped cabbage with a 10-inch knife.
Pressed on whether she believes she's in hot water, a flustered Stewart fired back, "I will be exonerated of any ridiculousness."
CBS had agreed to let Stewart do her food segment after she agreed to answer questions about the stock mess.
But her evasion tactics began immediately after Clayson gave an update on the probe of whether Stewart had inside information when she sold 3,928 shares of the biotech firm for about $227,000 the day before the firm got a negative ruling from the government.
Referring to Stewart, a regular contributor to the CBS show, as "our good friend," Clayson joined her in a studio kitchen - and the stonewalling began.
"Hi, well, if we're going to make the salad . . ." Martha began as if Clayson had uttered not a word on the exploding stock scandal.
But the host refused to drop the subject, pressing for details.
"Well, as you understand, I'm involved in an investigation that has very serious implications," said Stewart, dressed in a pink preppy shirt. "I'm not at liberty at this time to make any comments at all."
Trying to take the spotlight off herself, Stewart insisted the probe "really centers around ImClone and this drug called Erbitux," and said there are "many people involved in this whole investigation."
Asked if Merrill Lynch's suspension of her man-about-town stockbroker, Peter Bacanovic, has complicated her situation, Stewart replied:
"I think this will all be resolved in the very near future and I will be exonerated of any ridiculousness."
Stewart's pal Sam Waksal, ex-ImClone CEO, has been charged with tipping off relatives about a government rejection of an ImClone drug application.