Rumors had circulated about Broaddrick's allegation for years and it had been recorded in a letter prepared by a Republican rival of Clinton's around 1991, but she refused to speak to news media until 1999. In a sworn statement in 1997 with the placeholder name "Jane Doe #5", Broaddrick filed an affidavit with Paula Jones' lawyers stating there were unfounded rumors and stories circulating "that Mr. Clinton had made unwelcome sexual advances toward me in the late seventies. ... These allegations are untrue". She then recanted that statement to investigators of potential misconduct by Clinton led by Kenneth Starr, while insisting at the time that Clinton had not pressured or bribed her in any way. Starr declined to further investigate the issue, and mentioned it only in a footnote of his final report.