By VERNON SMALL deputy political editor
Relations between Helen Clark and Dover Samuels have hit a new low after her former Maori Affairs Minister labelled her office "the sewage channel" for allegedly leaking information against him.
The Prime Minister quickly hit back, saying Mr Samuels was "an individual who is facing a lot of difficulties, so it is not unnatural that he would lash out in a variety of directions."
Helen Clark has in the past blamed the Act Party and its leader, Richard Prebble, for bringing allegations about Mr Samuels into the open, although Mr Prebble has denied he wanted them made public.
Yesterday Mr Samuels turned his guns on his own party, accusing the Prime Minister's ninth-floor Beehive office of being "Channel Nine, the sewage channel" for leaking news that he was under investigation after rape allegations were made against him.
"He is free to think that, but I take exception to it," Helen Clark said at her post-cabinet press conference.
She said she had not received any briefings from the police that she could tell anyone about. But she conceded that she and her staff might have discussed the matter with reporters.
"My staff and I constantly have things put to us," she said. "The media appear to have been well aware for quite some time of a range of things around this case.
"From time to time one gets caught up in a conversation about it. But I would certainly not accept allegations that my staff have been party to spreading allegations."
Mr Prebble wrote to Helen Clark in June, outlining claims made by Beverley Rako, the mother of a teenage girl with whom Mr Samuels had a relationship in the mid-1980s.
Mr Samuels has admitted to the relationship, which ended after the woman had an abortion, but has rejected Mrs Rako's claim that her daughter was underage or in his care.
"The rape allegation was in Mrs Rako's letter of June 16 and in Mr Prebble's letter to me on June 20," Helen Clark said yesterday.
"On the night of June 21, when Mr Prebble's letter had been received, Mr Samuels vehemently denied the allegations in that letter. "
Mr Samuels has confirmed he is facing four rape allegations from the woman, now aged 31. But he says they are without foundation.
The police have been investigating the complaints against Mr Samuels for five weeks, and are still about a week away from any conclusion.
Police Commissioner Rob Robinson has said the investigation was more complicated than expected.
Helen Clark says Mr Samuels' criticisms against her office were damaging the Labour Party and would be an unwelcome distraction if they were raised at today's caucus meeting, where Ikaroa Rawhiti MP Parekura Horomia is certain to be appointed the new Minister of Maori Affairs.
Helen Clark said she had asked the party's whips to speak to Mr Samuels about his behaviour.
"I have asked them to remind him that he is a member of the party with some years standing, and that this sort of publicity isn't that helpful."
Chief Labour whip Rick Barker confirmed that he had spoken to Mr Samuels, but he would not comment on what was discussed or whether Mr Samuels had accepted the message.
Helen Clark said the party and the caucus would have to decide whether Mr Samuels would be suspended if police charged him with rape.
Labour president Bob Harvey said he met Mr Samuels briefly on Friday after the party's council asked for clarification about whether he now faced allegations of rape.
He had confirmed that he did, but denied any wrong-doing.
Mr Samuels' future was not an issue at the meeting, Mr Harvey said.
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