Posted on 03/18/2005 2:39:06 PM PST by rightalien
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration blacked out almost all the information in hundreds of documents before releasing them to a conservative organization looking into President Clinton (news - web sites)'s controversial pardons four years ago on his last day in office.
The only items not deleted from the material are the names of the person who wrote the document and the person it was sent to.
The government accountability group Judicial Watch said Friday that it received the Justice Department (news - web sites) documents following a court battle that featured a Republican administration fighting to keep secret documents generated by its Democratic predecessor.
The Bush White House has argued that releasing pardon-related documents would have a chilling effect on internal discussions leading up to presidential action on such requests.
Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton called it an instance of the Bush administration covering up a Clinton administration scandal.
The group plans to return to court to challenge the deletions, which cover nearly everything that is written on a total of 915 pages.
A federal appeals court ruled a year ago in the case that the White House can't claim Justice Department records are covered by a special exemption from the law reserved for presidential communications.
Among the 140 people Clinton pardoned on Jan. 20, 2001 was fugitive financier Marc Rich (news - web sites). Rich's wife, a Democratic fund-raiser, contributed $450,000 to Clinton's presidential library foundation and more than $100,000 to Hillary Rodham Clinton (news - web sites)'s U.S. Senate campaign.
Rich's name does not appear on any of the 915 pages.
The department invoked exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act that allow deletions for reasons such as documents being part of internal deliberations or containing personal information.
I agree and sometimes just cannot comprehend politics. After more than four years the whole government is infected with the clinton people in very important and sensitive positions.
kinda like the mexican presidencies covering up for each other.
Aren't at least some of those pardons under Grand Jury review?
Hmmm...wasn't there something a few years back about a bouncer in the clinton whitehouse with some fbi files?
I'm with you, I've followed politics since I cast my first ballot in '72 and it just gets curiouser and curiouser.
How can this "Two-Party Cartel" even rate a 20% approval? A big news dump on Friday while the Schivo circus goes on. What a pathetic government we all.
This is consistent with 41 and 43 rehabilitating 42's reputation to protect the presidency as an institution. Neither Bush is fond of Clinton. However, both are endeavoring to make him look better so that those that follow are not tarnished by his misconduct. Whether this is the right call to make will be decided by historians long after I'm dead and buried.
No, Bush is just maintaining the power of the office of the president.
They respect the office, not the man.
Same issue with Clintoons stealing of silverware. Bigger fish to fry than these old crooks.
I'm not a bit surprised...President Bush may not be the ultra-Leftist that VP Gore is, but probably more like the "Third Way" internationalist cronie that President Clinton is. It's just another case where they CYA for ea other.
Why FReepers & other "conservatives" worship @ the feet of President Bush makes no sense @ all, 'cuz HE AIN'T ONE OF US!
There's a grand jury looking at the pardons.
I would think that's why the heavy redactions.
It is not due to covering up.
xactly.
It goes beyond politics, it is a brotherhood.
I've never understood that line of reasoning, that refusing to admit error makes people trust you. Most of us assume that if you act like you're hiding something, there's something to hide.
A pol is a pol is a pol. You don't queer the deal.
Somebody must be giving them preseratives.
Folderol.
... and Ken Starr was just being meticulous investigating Clinton.
IMHO, this is one of the many repercussions of Filegate. There are possibly a number of dirty GOP pols who would be exposed as payback for exposing Clinton. One may be W's father - X41, which would explain W's actions to bury this?
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