Posted on 01/18/2006 4:40:02 AM PST by jimbo123
WASHINGTON - A special prosecutor's long-delayed report charges that a coverup at senior levels of the Clinton administration killed a tax fraud case against ex-cabinet member Henry Cisneros, the Daily News has learned.
David Barrett's 11-year, $23 million probe, which will be released tomorrow, states in stinging terms that this Clinton coverup succeeded.
Cisneros was forced to admit in 1999 that he had made secret payments to a mistress before serving as Clinton's secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
Barrett investigated tax fraud charges stemming from those under-the-table payments.
Then-IRS Commissioner Peggy Richardson, a close friend of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), was involved in efforts to quash the probe, a source close to the case alleged.
But Richardson's role was cut from Barrett's report, which went through 26 drafts, because Democratic law firm Williams & Connolly successfully pressured Barrett to remove a section of the report naming her, a source said.
The law firm represents Cisneros, former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton.
A Williams & Connolly attorney declined to comment.
Before Cisneros' 1999 guilty plea, Barrett's office began a second phase based in part on allegations in a 1997 memo to IRS headquarters by whistleblower John Filan, an IRS criminal investigations chief in Texas.
In a memo obtained by The News, Filan accused top Clinton officials, including senior IRS lawyer Barry Finkelstein, of covering up Cisneros' tax fraud case by transferring it to two inexperienced lawyers in Washington.
Filan wrote that the two got orders "to kill the case from Barry Finkelstein at the outset."
Reached last night, Finkelstein declined to comment.
One of Cisneros' then-defense attorneys, Cono Namorato - who is now chief of IRS internal affairs - referred a reporter to Barrett's report.
But Richardson's role was cut from Barrett's report, which went through 26 drafts, because Democratic law firm Williams & Connolly successfully pressured Barrett to remove a section of the report naming her, a source said.
Gee, wonder how much money changed hands to make that happen?
Nothing to see here...Move along.
One of Cisneros' then-defense attorneys, Cono Namorato - who is now chief of IRS internal affairs - referred a reporter to Barrett's report.
Nothing like a little quid pro quo...
"Then-IRS Commissioner Peggy Richardson, a close friend of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), was involved in efforts to quash the probe, a source close to the case alleged."
Democrat's Culture of Corruption.
I anxiously await some of the tidbits that were cut from the final report to leak out.
Oh come on folks, this is only about sex! Yup, Democrats screwing the taxpayer but sex non the less.
bump for later
Well, if someone can show a quid-pro-quo for this, the Abramoff scandal will look like a tempest in a teacup.
Hmmmm....what exactly is wrong with him giving his own money to his mistress, or to whomever else he wishes? Was he supposed to have filed an application with the Federal Bureau of Mistress Support first?
Proof that no good deed goes unpunished.
Henry's real sin was not that he made payments he need not have made to Linda Medlar. Under the circumstances, IMHO, that was quite an honorable and gentlemanly thing to do.
But the otherwise savvy and brilliantly impressive Henry stupidly lied about it to the FBI during a background check.
I wonder if they're going to leak the names of the people Hitlery told Richardson to have audited by the IRS.
Hitlery's hit list in in the report. I wonder if it will leak.
The press doesn't carry lefty scandals.
Charges against the Clinton Administration? Circle the wagons, men! Well, nothing to see here, folks, move on...
Nothing. Lying to investigators about it is "wrong" as in against the law.
Rumor has it that Cisneros is Teddy Kennedy's love child.
In addition to cutting out Richardson's role, isn't it speculated that there is evidence in the redacted pages that the Clinton's used the IRS to intimidate American citizens??
Thought I'd read that...
That's the scuttlebutt. And if the Toons used the IRS as their own personal Gestapo, makes we wonder what they were doing with the intelligence apparatus. And if Aldrich Ames was the only American who got his premises tossed without a warrant.
How exactly does a law firm "pressure" an independent counsel?
AND
How does a law firm get to read the offending section but I can't?
I guess the answere is in the size of the retainer $$$.
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