1997 - FRED THOMPSON WIMPS OUT JUST AS HE GETS CLOSE TO PREY

Rocky Mountain News via Bar of Integrity ^ | Sept 23, 1997 | William Safire

[Calpernia]

Why, just as the investigation into Clinton campaign corruption was hitting pay dirt, did Fred Thompson suddenly strike a deal with Democrats to shift the hearings into a softer, gentler discussion of legislative changes?

Consider the momentum building:

1. Venerable Gore, now wisely hiring criminal lawyers, was shown to be fund-raising from federal property for his own campaign, which forced Janet Reno to shake up Justice's hapless bureaucracy - in hope of evading the law's mandate to seek court appointment of a real prosecutor.

2. Our rogue president, after selling face time to an engaging hustler for $300,000, was shown to have directed his aide to be ``supportive'' of the donor at the Energy Department. Mack McLarty swore this attempted fix was merely ``seeking information,'' echoing the words of Sherman Adams to excuse his improper intercession for Bernard Goldfine in 1958.

3. One of two Clinton 1992 fund-raisers who became high officials at Energy was shown to be a perjurer. ``Somebody's lying,'' concluded a senator. In that connection . . .

4. DNC chairman Don Fowler was shown disremembering conversations held with a CIA operative named Bob to help sanitize donor Roger Tamraz. This triggered a CIA Inspector General investigation likely to reveal abuse of authority within the Directorate of Operations.

With all that - plus evidence of China 's fund-funneling - what caused Fred Thompson to veer off into legislative la-la land? His reasons:

1. The coming week's hearings were to be Democrats' payback time, and GOP leaders did not want to offer a chance to argue ``everybody did it.''

2. Thompson thought he was running low on ammunition. The best witnesses - Huang, Middleton, Trie - were taking the Fifth or hiding overseas.

3. After a slow start that drew media derision, Thompson reached a level of interest and grudging respect that would be hard to maintain (ain't gonna get no betta); soon the pack's mantra would become ``petering out.''

4. Thompson believes this is the time for a deep breath; to see if New York U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White's prosecution of teamsters leads to the AFL and the White House's Harold Ickes (whom he will depose again); to press the Freeh-Reno crowd on the Asian connection; and in three weeks, to take another look at his hand.

By thus thinking tactically - about how the hearings ``play'' - Thompson is making a strategic blunder.

A serious Senate investigation has three purposes: first, to use its subpoena power to expose to public view, often in dull detail, the widespread wrongdoing and potential lawbreaking that corrupted a presidential election. Next, with the public educated and aroused, to shame the see-no-evil, conflicted Justice Department into action. Purpose three: to propose legislation to make certain future wrongdoing of this kind is prosecutable.

But just when the committee's exposing purpose was getting traction - when front pages and even TV network news shows were paying attention - Chairman Thompson cut away from the chase.

Because he mistakenly thought he was running out of fresh ammunition and running out of time, the Tennessee senator switched to the general legislative purpose. It was part of a deal with Trent Lott to steal a march on the Democrats' domination of campaign finance reform.

With Thompson taking his heavy breather, who will take up the torch? It's up to Intelligence Chairman Richard Shelby, who plans to examine Democratic penetration of the CIA, perhaps publicly, as former DCI John Deutch urges; Dan Burton and his House committee, bedeviled by cover-upper Henry Waxman but unencumbered by deadline; 41-year-old Mary Jo White; and slowpoke prosecutor Hickman Ewing Jr., administering water torture to Webster Hubbell.

Too bad about Fred Thompson's wimpout. Hope he catches his breath in time.

[Calpernia]

This would be an excellent football for him to run with. Jellybean has a link to Fred’s overview on this ChinaGate investigation.

JellyBean, do you have that link from the FAS?

[Calpernia]

Any reason why you can’t start a different thread with that?

[pissant]

LOL. Weak sister, you have to do better than that.

[pissant]

Yes, because it would be cut to shreds.

[Calpernia]

I found the link I was looking for:

http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/1998_rpt/sgo-sir/3-34.htm

INVESTIGATION OF ILLEGAL OR IMPROPER ACTIVITIES
IN CONNECTION WITH 1996 FEDERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGNS
FINAL REPORT of the COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
SENATE Rept. 105-167 - 105th Congress 2d Session - March 10, 1998

Excerpt:

Additional Views of Chairman Fred Thompson The Committee Report documents the facts surrounding what may be considered, at least from a campaign money standpoint, the most corrupt political campaign in modern history. Little needs to be added to the ugly picture that has already been painted. It is important for us now to reflect upon the other implications of the investigation.

[bert]

It is for this rason that I as a Tennessean have not made a Fred committment.

Somebody got to him. Who? why?

Can he be trusted to defeat Hillary?

[Calpernia]

Hillary may not be a factor if they finally get her in this Hsu investigation.

Fred might be able to help with this.

[Petronski]

Any reason why you can’t start a different thread with that?

[Calpernia]

Leave your webcam on?

[ravingnutter]

In October of 2006 it was revealed that Representative Duncan☼ Hunter's home in San Diego was listed at less than half its actual size and number of bedrooms and as a result Hunter had rather dramatically underpaid his property taxes. Tax rolls listed the property as a two-bedroom, 2½-bath house with 2,946 square feet of living space. The property records were wrong.

According to Hunter's insurance carrier, the house was more than twice that size – about 6,200 square feet. The property also featured a 2,000-square-foot guest house, a swimming pool and tennis court.

A county assessor visited the six-bedroom house soon after Hunter bought it and took pictures, the congressman said.

But the home's description wasn't corrected in the property file. The house was reappraised at $249,000 – above the sale price but below its market value.

The discrepancy resulted in Hunter paying less in taxes than others in similar-sized properties, although the amount he saved is not clear. The county relies on square footage, lot size, comparable home sales and other factors to calculate assessments, but does not discuss specific parcels without a release from the homeowner.

Hunter refused to give assessors permission to discuss details about his property with The San Diego Union-Tribune, which has been examining the holdings of public officials since a bribery scandal last year sent former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham to federal prison.[1] Of course Hunter's ties to Randy "Duke" Cunningham are another story altogether, one that I will be looking at in the near future.

But the tax dispute with his home begs the question of whether Hunter can be trusted to execute the laws of our nation when he can't even abide by the laws of his locality?

Source

[ravingnutter]

So...start cutting.

[Calpernia]

I just this is an invitation for all of us to go and post off topic articles into any thread we want?

[Petronski]

I don’t have one. But I’d be happy to post that picture of you again, if you want.

[davidosborne]

ok — getting back on topic now.... What say you?

[davidosborne]

my oh my... can we just stick to the topic without killing each other..?? in the General election we are on the same team are we not? -— Primaries have a tendency to put us at odds with each other... that is normal folks.. let’s not beat each other up......

[Calpernia]

Why are Fred supporters trolling a thread with a topic that has the potential to bury the Clintons once and for all?

[Petronski]

You're so terribly . . . coy.

[ravingnutter]

Off topic? Not really, think of it as a debate over who has the most baggage. You are so desperate to smear Thompson with spam-like postings to boost Hunter’s ratings, but you don’t like Hunter’s dirty laundry to be aired in comparison?

[Petronski]

...to boost Hunter’s ratings...out of the asterisk range.

[pissant]

Post it as its own thread and I will.