have to hang in.
On Wednesday, June 26, 2002, at 05:36 PM, Doug Henwood wrote:
> New York Post - June 26, 2002
>
> MARTHA'S SALAD DAZE
> By BILL HOFFMANN
>
> ----
>
> [image omitted]
>
> NO WAY, JANE:
> CBS's Jane Clayson tries to grill cabbage queen Martha Stewart.
>
> ----
>
> 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.
>