Dems try to kill Clinton probe

NY Daily News ^ | JAMES GORDON MEEK

[Republican Red]

WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats are quietly trying to kill a 10-year legal probe that implicates several senior Clinton administration appointees for obstruction of justice, the Daily News has learned.

The Democrats, saying that the $21 million investigation by Independent Counsel David Barrett should have ended long ago, succeeded in attaching an amendment to a spending bill Tuesday to cut off his funding by June 1.

But two sources close to the investigation said that if the legislation becomes law, it will thwart Barrett from making public a final report that names senior officials in the Clinton Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service who allegedly buried a tax fraud case involving former cabinet member Henry Cisneros.

"It's about obstruction of justice," said one of the sources. "People are willing to take drastic actions to kill this report."

Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), who introduced the amendment with Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), said last week that the disgraced HUD secretary paid a $10,000 fine in 1999 for lying to the FBI and that then-President Bill Clinton pardoned Cisneros, so the probe "should have ended years ago."

Barrett's probe began in 1995 by looking into allegations that Cisneros, who was Clinton's secretary of Housing and Urban Development, lied to the FBI about payments to his mistress. It expanded years ago into a broader obstruction case involving alleged tax fraud, according to the sources.

The report will allege that Justice Department officials snuffed out a tax case against Cisneros and that the IRS sometimes audited Clinton critics without good cause.

Barrett's investigation was wrapped up two years ago, and his 400-page final report was submitted to a three-judge panel last August, said two sources.

Because those named in the report have until the end of June to refute Barrett's findings, Kerry and Dorgan's amendment would prevent its release.

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

Bryan Sierra, a spokesman for the Department of Justice, would not comment on the case.

So there's someone who works for the govt with the name of Bryan Sierra?

Maybe he could get his first name changed from Bryan to Bravo.

Too funny.

[Truth29]

You're right, it is apples and oranges. The investigation being discussed in this thread was by a Special Council in the Executive Branch with an appropriation for that investigation. The amendment would cut off funds for that specific investigation and report. The Delay matter is simply the machinations of Congresscritters and the House Ethics Committee funded through the Congressional Legislative Branch appropriation.

[Cincinna]

This article is from the New York Sun

Hillary Moneyman Secretly Taped

A relative of an "extremely well-known" Democrat is set to testify in the upcoming trial of Hillary Clinton's former finance chairman David Rosen.

This "well-known" Democrat secretly tape-recorded Rosen in a bid to get incriminating evidence about an August 2000 Hollywood fund-raiser for Hillary Clinton and her Senate campaign.

Court documents obtained by the New York Sun say that while the informant's identity is being kept secret, "The CW [confidential witness] is related to an extremely prominent and well-known political figure. It can be expected that the fact that CW was working in an undercover capacity for the FBI will become the subject of intense media attention."

Mr. Rosen, who pleaded not guilty in February to a four-count indictment based on allegations that he filed false reports about the Clinton fund-raiser, is scheduled to go on trial in Los Angeles on May 3.

FBI agent David Smith - who's been handling the Clinton case since its inception - said the mystery informant began cooperating in July 2002.

Papers obtained by the Sun reveal that the bombshell witness is a Democrat insider.

"The CW states that s/he is active in fundraising for the Democratic Party. CW assisted in the U.S. Senate campaign of Hillary Clinton. S/he was involved in the planning of the Clinton Gala," agent Smith wrote in January 2003.

The court documents offer no clue as to whether the confidential witness also tried to wiretap Mrs. Clinton.

Witness: FBI Sought Hillary Tap

However another key witness in the case, Hollywood fund-raiser Aaron Tonken, says in his book "King of Cons" that he agreed to try to tape the former first lady's phone calls at agent Smith's request.

But by the time of Smith's request, said Tonken, team Clinton was aware he was part of the investigation into the August 2000 event and avoided taking his calls.

A source familiar with the case told the Sun that the confidential witness is not related to either Bill or Hillary Clinton.

[Calpernia]

>>>>As ridiculous as it may sound, anyone being paid from the investigation appropriation would be in violation of the law to even respond to a question.

*If* funds are cut off, can something unusual be done and private funds be donated?

[gathersnomoss]

Ditto's brother. Don't look at the man behind the curtain.

[TAdams8591]

Some things NEVER change.

[gathersnomoss]

If = When.

[Calpernia]

>>>No wonder Sandy Bergler gets off with a slap on the wrist.

No no...he is cooperating with an investigation.

The Clinton's might be able to cut off an investigation from ONE angle; but, there are investigations going on all around them...Oil for food, Berger smuggling files for WHOM??? Campaign financing and God knows what else.

They can't stop them all. And others will squeal like sissy girls as they get caught.

I love it. This administration will go down in history. Saddam, OBL, Clintons (can we hope for Soros too?)

::mental note...invest in popcorn::

[Allosaurs_r_us]

"So, how come?"

 

You got to be kidding, right? First of all welcome to FR. If this is your first day here I would suggest you follow all the threads that have been posted in this article. There should be plenty of evidence to explain our position.

 

If you are an American you shouldn't have to ask why we think he is a degenerate. Even the DumbocRats can't argue that he embarrassed the office of the presidency.

 

What planet or country are you from anyway? I'm pretty sure the whole world knows the "Clintoon Story".

 

If you have lurked around FR very long at all, I'm sure you know what a TROLL is. This question will likely get you sniffed by the Viking Kitty Patrol.

[prairiebreeze]

[Truth29]

"If" funds are cut off, can something unusual be done and private funds donated?

Nope. That would be an augmentation of the appropriation and illegal. Ain't government wonderful? The only time donated funds can be accepted in the Executive Branch is if there is specific legislative authority to do so. Those authorities are usually quite specific as to purpose and use. A simpler solution in this matter would be for the GOP conferees to strip this amendment out in the House/Senate conference or even better, before final Senate passage.

[hipaatwo]

We're waiting to hear from PowerLine about if this is where the amendment is and what's happening with it.



Please ping me when you find out.

[oyez]

Clinton Justice Department

Isn't that some sort of oxymoron?

[PhilDragoo]

"The Clintons might be able to cut off an investigation from ONE angle,

but there are investigations going on all around them."

[potlatch]

Hey, I like it!! Oh what a tangled web [of snakes] they weave!!

Wonder what I can do to this one, LOL.

[Bellflower]

A relative of an "extremely well-known" Democrat is set to testify in the upcoming trial of Hillary Clinton's former finance chairman David Rosen.

Does anyone want to venture a good guess on who this might be?

[Bullish]

If there was corruption in the late '90s, Hillie and Willie were involved!!

You mean they were in it up to their eyeballs.

[montag813]

Fear not liberals. The other faction of your "Two-Party Cartel" will buckle under. You are safe as all socialist in congress are.

Careful! Now you will be blasted as a bitter Bush-hating Buchananite traitor by some nitwits on this forum.

[Allosaurs_r_us]

"Is it safe to assume, by your answer, that this article is enough of an example to label Clinton the "most corrupt administration in history"?

 

Are you for real or just brain dead? Maybe you have just been thawed out from some cryogenic experiment on the planet Altar...... How can you not know about Slick Willie and his playmate Hitlery?

 

 

Hey Meek!

[Calpernia]

ping

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1388341/posts?page=110#110

(snip)

All of the lies, the grand jury said, became a conspiracy to impede the Senate in its confirmation responsibilities, the FBI in doing background investigations of Cabinet nominees and the Justice Department in determining who is worthy of top-secret national security clearance.