Olson states that he was counsel for the American Spectator "from time to time beginning in 1994," around when the Arkansas Project was born.

Asked by Leahy for billing records, as well as a description of the scope of that legal counsel, Olson says "the nature and scope of those services and billing records ... are subject to the attorney-client privilege."

But other questions from Leahy seem to have jarred Olson awake and restored some of his memory. Though he's been asked for years about his involvement in the Arkansas Project, it's not until this last round of follow-up questions that Olson acknowledges that he had a meeting about the Arkansas Project in his office prior to 1998.

Now, in his written response to questions, Olson responds, "I do recall meetings, which I now realize must have been in the summer of 1997 in my office regarding allegations regarding what became known as the 'Arkansas Project.'"

Olson also says he knew of allegations "concerning whether expenditures involved in that project had been properly documented." That's certainly beyond whether or not the project "did exist."

And, again, when was this? "I now realize that the allegations concerning the Arkansas Project came to my knowledge in 1997," he writes.

Leahy also asked, in his written questions, about a meeting Olson attended at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in late 1993 or early 1994, where plans were first discussed to have the Spectator run a Scaife-funded "series of probes into the Clintons and their alleged crimes in Arkansas."

This is one of the diciest issues for Olson, since this is one of the first meetings when, according to Conason and Lyons, the Arkansas Project was hatched. Previously, Olson dismissed talk of such meetings. ("No, there were none," he told the committee in April.)

Now he responds, "I do not recall the meeting described." And, he says, "I certainly was not involved in any such meeting at which a topic was using Scaife funds and the American Spectator to 'mount a series of probes into the Clintons and their alleged crimes in Arkansas.'"

It's a parse-worthy response one could only call Clintonian.

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