< /sarcasm >
Isn't that the truth? The Old Media is so liberal and hypocritical, it drives me freakin' crazy sometimes. They spent 8+ years ignoring all of Clinton's crimes, including rape, and yet they'll splash something as insignificant as 5-year-old tapes across the headlines for weeks, especially if any more tapes are leaked.
Just in case any of you newbies missed it, and for all you oldies who have forgotten, I'm posting the clinton White House Task List. It's a list of the scandals that clinton was trying to keep a lid on, in outline form. This list was written by the clinton White House, not by FR or reporters or Congress. It's their list of scandals they perceived could be a problem and needed covering up. And this was from 1994 so it doesn't even include many of the scandals & crimes that occurred later on.
Link: The White House Task List, in Outline Form
WHITE HOUSE TASK LIST -- DECEMBER 13, 1994 1. ISSUES a. Foster document handling (Nemetz) b. Travel Office (Cerf) c. White House/Treasury contacts (revisited; report) (JCS) d. Obstruction of justice (DOJ handling of criminal referrals; Jay Stephens; RTC whistleblower reprisals) e. Use of White House resources for response efforts (Nolan) f. Foster suicide (Nemetz) g. Espy (ethics; expanded Smaltz inquiry re Tyson's, Hatch Act) (Mills/Nolan) h. Cisneros I. Brown j. Hubbell k. Ickes/union representation l. Stephanopoulos/NationsBank m. State Department--passport files n. Archives--abuse of personnel system o. Legal Defense Fund (Mills) p. Health Care Task Force (Neuwirth) q. White House operations (drugs, passes, helicopters) (Mills/Nolan) r. Residence renovations (Neuwirth) s. Presidential immunity (Sloan) t. White House Arkansans (Thomasson, Nash, Rasco) u. PIC surplus v. Improper electioneering (SBA) w. GSA (Roger Johnson) x. Value Partners (Neuwirth) y. Presidential campaign (FEC audit) z. Commodities (Kendall) aa. Gubernatorial campaigns (Lindsey, Wright)--record keeping (Kendall) ab. Gubernatorial campaigns)--MGSL (Kendall) ac. Whitewater/MGSL (Kendall) ad. Other MGSL/McDougal (Kendall) ae. Rose Law Firm (HRC work for MGSL; Frost Case, FSLIC representation) (Kendall) af. David Hale/Susan McDougal/SBA (Kendall) ag. Tucker ah. Lasater (bond deals; cocaine; Roger Clinton) ai. Use of loans to achieve legislative initiatives aj. ADFA (political favors; Larry Nichols) ak. Mena Airport al. troopers am. women (Kendall/Bennett) 2. PRELIMINARIES a. Identify key republican objectives and routes for achieving them--e.g. I. sustain shadow on WJC character ii. hype HRC threat to white men, traditional women b. Identify guiding principles for responses--e.g. I. nothing to hide____ ii. stick to the facts____ iii. get it right the first time____ iv. keep it simple____ v. resist harassment____ vi. govern America c. Executive privilege research I. OLC state of the play____ ii. comments by republicans re assertion____ iii. protocol iv. strategy/principles for asserting d. Research re entitlement of Congress to HRC/WJC transcripts of depositions given to Fiske e. Research re congressional subpoena power I. reach (HRC/WJC)____ ii. precedents____ iii. committee rules____ iv. procedures f. Research re limitations on legislative power to investigate I. legislative purpose____ ii. overreaching precedents g. Learn new Hill committee jurisdiction, membership h. Courtesy visits to Hill--member and staff level (e.g., Frank, Sarbanes, leadership; Harris, Meek, etc.) I. Consultations j. Offensive structure I. FEC legal research____ ii. W&C iii. DNC/DCCC/DSCC____ iv. surrogates k. Representation of Administration officials by private counsel I. compensation l. Research re proper role of OWHC with respect to pre- inaugural issues with an aim toward articulating principles for determining who should be principal spokesperson on a particular issue and the extent to which each (private counsel/OHWC) should participate. 3. FOSTER DOCUMENTS HANDLING a. Independent counsel inquiry (1) identify options with respect to issuance of report-- (a) precedents (2) inquire about status and timing (3) HRC/WJC depositions____> ii. status check with counsel for individuals b. Congressional hearings I. identify likely committees(Senate Banking; House Banking, Gov Ops, Judiciary) (1) identify friends--key Members and staff (2) identify leadership (3) identify key republicans ____ ii. congressional visits____ (1) Daschle (2) Sarbanes & other Banking (3) house iii. prepare background materials (1) assemble public record (2) talking points and fact memoranda iv. determine how to handle representation of individual White House staff (1) outside counsel (2) attorney fees (3) assertion of privileges c. Press strategy d. Surrogate role ____ I. Hamilton ____ ii. identify others e. Offensive research f. Issue specific tasks I. security/Livingstone issues (1) debrief Joel ____ (2) review Livingstone file ____ (3) consult with Randy Turk ____ (4) interview Livingstone (5) fact memo ii. inconclusiveness re Williams removal of documents (1) confer with Ed Dennis ____ (2) debrief Joel re security officer (3) assemble public reports of document removal on 7/20 and statements attributed to White House officials iii. chain of custody re transfer of Clinton personal files (1) complete interviews ____ (a) Carolyn Huber ____ (b) Linda Tripp ____ (c) Deborah Gorhan ____ (d) Bob Barnett ____ (e) Syvia Mathews (2) fact memo _____ (3) assemble public record (4) determine strategy re release of White H2O Devel Corp. file * iv. search of Foster office (1) assemble public record ____ (a) including any relevant testimony at Senate hearing on Foster suicide in July 1994 (2) fact memo (a) obligation to seal the office immediately (b) obligation to cooperate with law enforcement authorities vs. protection of privileged material (c) basis for protecting disclosure to Congress of privileged material in VF office (3) legal research (I) basis for resisting identification/production of all documents in VF office and Bernie's safe v. Delay in surfacing suicide note (1) complete interviews____ (a) Gergen ____ (b) Burton (2) assemble material in public record (3) fact memo (4) legal research____ (a) obligations to disclose a note to law enforcement authorities ____ (I) if not obviously a suicide note ____ (ii) timeliness requirements 4. FOSTER SUICIDE a. Chris Ruddy/Center for Western Journalism b. Causes for suicide c. Monitor Senate report; coordinate with Hamilton d. Develop press response 5. OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE a. Delay in addressing criminal referrals; DOJ role (D.C. and Paula Casey) I. determine usual process ii. develop chronology/fact memo with key (1) Charles Banks____ (2) Paula Casey ____ (3) (track Lewis correspondence released by Leach) iii. identify Committee interest (D'Amato; House) iv. assemble public record b. RTC/Kansas City investigation (suspension of Jean Lewis, Richard Iorio etc.; April Breslaw; pre-1993 activity) I. develop chronology of known facts and key documents ii. interview Breslaw iii. identify Committee interest (Leach; Senate) iv. examine last day of House hearings for offensive help c. Jay Stephens retention I. track public record ii. identify efforts to give IC civil jurisdiction iii. identify Committee interest (D'Amato; House) 6. WHITE HOUSE/TREASURY CONTACTS a. Senate Report I. review/comment on Report ii. keep in touch with Minority Report developments iii. prepare press strategy iv. identify surrogates b. White House investigation of White House/Treasury contacts (receipt of information about RTC investigation; work product; redactions) I. prepare file memorandum describing use of unredacted transcripts ii. determine continuing Bond interest c. Truthfulness of White House and other Administration witnesses (referral of testimony to Starr--Ickes, Stephanopoulos) I. consult with lawyers ____ ii. identify areas of vulnerability iii. research on perjury iv. press response d. Heads-up policy I. surrogates____ ii. uniform application____ iii. Treasury status iv. press strategy for release of Committee report v. work up background paper on precedents e. Recusal policies/OGE/Executive Orders I. press strategy for release of Committee report ii. background paper iii. consult with OGE iv. consider Executive Order or other response to Committee f. Contacts policy (Executive Order) I. press strategy for release of Committee report ii. background paper iii. consult with OGE iv. consider Executive order or other response to Committee g. Rikki Tigert I. determine her first likely congressional appearance in the new congress ii. assemble public record iii. interview Gergen, Tigert and Klein re communications on the subject of recusal (1) determine response to allegations of ``pressure'' (2) determine response to allegation that Klein misled the committee iv. determine press strategy/talking points 7. SMALTZ INVESTIGATION a. Espy--ethics (Mills) b. Beyond Espy ethics (Hatch Act, Tyson's) I. determine charter, scope of inquiry ____ ii. determine press strategy iii. identify congressional interest ______ iv. assemble public record v. fact gathering 8. WHITE HOUSE WHITEWATER RESPONSE EFFORT a. Legal research I. the appropriate role of White House staff with respect to issues arising pre-inauguration (see above) b. Fact development (scope of effort, etc.) c. Determine press strategy/develop talking points d. Assemble public record i. Lindsey involvement pre-1994 I. Lindsey involvement pre-1994 ii. Ickes' Ward Room undertaking (1/94) iii. Polesta damage control effort 9. CISNEROS a. Gather facts b. Establish contact with counsel c. Determine press strategy/develop talking points d. Identify source of congressional interest e. Assemble binder with summary and key documents 10. BROWN a. Establish contact with counsel b. Determine press strategy/develop talking points c. Identify source of congressional interest d. Assemble binder with summary and key documents 11. HUBBELL a. Monitor cooperation ____ b. Determine press strategy/develop talking points 12. ICKES (union representation) a. Monitor _____ b. Assemble binder with summary and key documents 13. STEPHANOPOULOS (nationsbank) a. Monitor_____ b. Assemble binder with summary and key documents 14. STATE DEPARTMENT (passport files) a. Identify issue_____ b. Determine congressional interest _____ c. Assemble binder with summary and key documents 15. ARCHIVES (abuse of personnel system) a. Identify issue_____ b. Determine congressional interest_____ c. Assemble binder with summary and key documents 16. SBA (improper electioneering) a. Identify issue_____ b. Determine congressional interest _____ c. Assemble binder with summary and key documents 17. GSA (Roger Johnson) a. Identify issue_____ b. Determine congressional interest _____ c. Assemble binder with summary and key documents 18. FEC Audit a. Determine congressional interest _____ b. Assemble binder with summary and key documents _____ 19. FIC surplus a. Identify issue_____ b. Determine congressional interest _____ c. Assemble binder with summary and key documents 20. MGSL-related a. Whitewater Investment I. assemble public record ii. review documents, including work of accountants and tax returns; Lyons reports iii. develop fact memo and chronology ______ iv. press strategy b. MGSL i. assemble public record_____ ii. review W&C documents _____ iii. develop fact memo and chronology_____ iv. fact memo (1) why MGSL failed; relationship of campaign contributions to failure (2) Rose Law Firm work (HRC 1985) (a) conflicts (b) enabled MGSL to stay open longer than it should have v. surrogate strategy c. Rose Law Firm I. fact memo (1) status of conflicts inquiry (2) Frost case (3) Rose services to FSLIC related to Lasater brokerage firm (HRC 2 hours in 1987, signed pleadings for VF) (4) billing practices ________ ii. assemble public record _____ iii. determine press strategy d. David Hale 21. OTHER PRE-INAUGURAL a. Gubernatorial Campaigns i. identify issues (1) whether expenditures and loans were properly reported under state law (a) Lindsey role_____ (b) Betsey Wright (2) role of the Bank of Cherry Valley (3) Starr looking at 1984, 1986, 1990 ii. interview Kendall; review Kendall documents iii. interview Snyder/Lindsey iv. fact memo v. press strategy b. Negative Associations I. Jim Guy Tucker ii. David Hale (SBA) iii. Jim McDougal iv. Dan Lasater (bond deals, cocaine, Roger Clinton) c. Mena Airport I. identify issue_____ ii. determine congressional interest______ iii. assemble binder with summary and key documents d. ADFA i. identify issue (political favors)_____ ii. determine congressional interest _____ iii. assemble binder with summary and key documents e. Use by Governor Clinton of loans to further legislative initiatives i. identify issue _____ ii. determine congressional interests _____ iii. assemble binder with summary and key documents f. Commodities i. determine congressional interest _____ ii. assemble binder with summary and key documents g. Paula Jones i. assemble binder with summary and key documents h. Troopers i. identify issue (job for silence, other) ii. determine congressional interest _____ iii. assemble binder with summary and key documents
Here's a partial list of things that aren't on the outline:
- Tainted blood from Arkansas prisons
- Stolen FBI Files in the WH
- Alexis Herman
- Sandy Berger
- Monica
- Buddy Young
- FALN
- Kosovo
- Waco massacre
- Oklahoma City & subsequent coverup
- There are too many more to cover here. Go to the above link to read the thread if you're interested.