Posted on 05/26/2005 5:43:37 PM PDT by wagglebee
In their closing arguments yesterday before the case against Hillary Clinton's fundraiser David Rosen headed to the jury, prosecutors charged that Rosen had accepted lavish, secret gifts that were "clearly meant to buy influence and access."
Justice Department lawyer Daniel Schwager told the Los Angeles jury that Aaron Tonken, who helped organize an Aug. 12, 2000 fundraiser that's at the center of Rosen's trial, plied Rosen with luxury hotel rooms and the use of a fancy car in a bid to gain access to the Clintons.
Among the favors Rosen accepted:
* A $10,000 stay in the Beverly Hills Hotel, which Schwager called "one of the swankiest hotels in L.A."
* The use of Tonken's $80,000 Porsche 911 convertible.
* A $3,500 stay in another posh L.A. hotel, L'Ermitage.
Rosen insisted on Tuesday that he paid for the last item out of his own $105,000 salary. But prosecutors say that Rosen failed to report all of the gifts to the Federal Election Commission as required by law.
Schwager told the jury that Rosen knew Tonken was getting invitations to the White House, and considered the favors a quid pro quo.
Rosen, however, insisted that wasn't true, noting that someone else had arranged Tonken's visits with then-President and Mrs. Clinton.
As evidence that Rosen considered the gifts nothing more than a friendly gesture, the Clinton finance chairman told the jury that he had rebuffed "many crazy requests" from Tonken.
The jury is set to weigh two counts of election fraud against Rosen. U.S. District Judge A. Howard Matz dismissed a third count on Wednesday.
If convicted, the one-time top Clinton aide faces 10 years in prison and $500,000 in fines.
Translation: The Clintonistas take bribes, but it costs a lot more than a few hotel rooms and a loaner car.
* A $10,000 stay in the Beverly Hills Hotel, which Schwager called "one of the swankiest hotels in L.A."
* The use of Tonken's $80,000 Porsche 911 convertible.
* A $3,500 stay in another posh L.A. hotel, L'Ermitage.
..were part of the Achilles' heel or suspected weakness of Rosen that could become very useful down the road as an "insurance policy" should this fraud ever surface.
We are not dealing with amateurs here. It's like the "old tap on the shoulder from behind" trickery. You are meant to look one way and accuse the person in the right spot at the wrong time; the crafty perpetrator escapes focus.
And rather than give up the sordid illegalities of his ideological mistress this Al Quaeda Clintonista will go to jail just like other FOB crooks from Arkansas did.
Anyone ever hear a news report or read a newspaper article about this case? What would the coverage be if it were a fundraiser for a Republican?
When the alternative is Arkancide in Fort Marcy Park, prison starts to have a certain appeal.
http://www.warroom.com/clinton.htm
It would be the ONLY story until something else came along they could blame Bush for.
How quickly we forget! The victims of the terrible duo. Important reminder that behind the bumbleclod good ol boy demeanor is the soul of a monster.
I missed that story!
There has been nothing in the MSM about this and yet I have been hearing about things in Texas that are remotely related to Tom Delay.
Rosen claimed under oath that he paid the 3500 for L'Ermitage but did not ask for reimbursement. Actually, Peter Paul paid for it.
Thanks for clearing that up.
Wasn't this all on the audio tape the clinton appointed judge did not allow as evidence in the trial ?
Its a clear case of BLIND justice.
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