BAD NIGHT FOR THE GOP: LEWIS LIBBY COMES TO MARC RICH'S DEFENSE (after Clinton's pardon)

NATIONAL REVIEW ^ | MARCH 2, 2001 | Byron York, White House Correspondent

[Liz]

MARCH 2, 2001

Lewis Libby, a top Republican lawyer, who is now VP Dick Cheney's chief of staff, told the House Government Reform Committee....that he agreed with much of Bill Clinton's widely discredited op-ed article outlining the former president's reasons for pardoning fugitive tax evader Marc Rich.

In a session that stretched late into the evening, Libby, who represented Rich for several years ending in the spring of 2000, told the committee he believes Rich is not guilty of tax and racketeering charges filed by federal prosecutors in 1983. Libby said he "quite possibly" would have considered applying for a pardon for Rich had Rich asked him to do so.

Libby, who said his law firms collected as much as $2 million for representing Rich, testified he had nothing to do with the application that led to clemency for Rich.

He declined to say whether he approved of the decision to pardon Rich, but he conceded that he called Rich on January 22, two days after the pardon, to "congratulate him on having reached a result that he had sought for a long time." Libby testified he made the call from his home to make clear that he was calling in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of the Bush administration.

In a particularly damaging exchange with Pennsylvania Democrat Paul Kanjorski, Libby agreed that Rich might be characterized as a traitor for fleeing the country and renouncing his American citizenship. Kanjorski asked Libby why he would call a traitor to congratulate him on his good fortune in winning a pardon. Visibly uncomfortable, Libby had no answer.

For Republicans, Libby's testimony was a sour endnote to what had been a long day of revelations that made President Clinton's decision to pardon Rich seem even more inexplicable than previously thought.

[USAConstitution]

Are you calling me a witch or Scooter Libby a witch?

I was calling Ms. Miers a witch. Figuratively speaking, of course

[snugs]

As a lawyer he is free to represent anyone he wishes. I agree the telephone call is unwise but he may have felt obliged to make it as his lawyer. He was careful enough to ensure that he made it from home so that the administration could not be seen as agreeing or linked to the phone call.

Also he may not have agreed that he client was guilty and a traitor who knows none of us have all the facts or know exactly what was said and or done. I feel you are inferring because of this incident he is a "plant or a traitor" and is likely to be guilty IMHO it is both unfair and illogical.

I am not inferring that I agree Marc Rich is innocent or is not a traitor in my book I am just saying that maybe Libby from a legal point of view on certain issues did not feel it was all black and white.

I agree that maybe who one associates with does give one an idea of your character etc but in the case of a lawyer and his client IMHO this is different.

[snugs]

To call Miers a witch is an insult to an evangelical Christian. I therefore take this as an insult to me and to Harriet Miers I think you owe both of us an apology for that remark.

You can make a good argument whey she may have not been the best nominee but to infer she is a Satan worshipper is both ridiculous and infantile and totally destroys which probably may have otherwise been a sensible discussion on Miers and Libby.

[USAConstitution]

You can make a good argument whey she may have not been the best nominee but to infer she is a Satan worshipper is both ridiculous and infantile and totally destroys which probably may have otherwise been a sensible discussion on Miers and Libby.

Ehem... Perhaps you don't know what the phrase "figuratively speaking" means. I was referring back to your comment that people were on a "witch hunt".

Have a good day...

[snugs]

OK yes you did not figuretively speaking and was linked to my comment of a witch hunt.

However you then said we have found a witch which was rather insulting IMHO.

I was simply pointing out my views so there was no need to personally insult me.

[snugs]

Actually to say the comment referred to Miers did not make sense IMHO is was as I originally thought aimed at me.

[rip033]

Your right. I saw another post, http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1510653/posts#comment?q=1. which speaks of Rich's company being a middle man for financing oil deals in the Oil For Food program. Libby has at least a working relationship in defending Rich. Libby worked for a Dem law firm? Wilson and Plame are Dems. Marc Rich's company ran deals in the corrupted Oil For Food program. Remember the trucks of cash found by US Troops? Remember how various Iraq government buildings in Baghdad were burned down when the US enter the city? I believe some serious hard ball is going on where the costs is everything for our country. This no oil for blood-Bush lied thing is not about politics. It's about money and corruption. Bush busted up a large cash cow for many of the world's leaders and big shots. I'm starting to believe that Libby was a rat planted in the administration to keep an eye on it then to distract and side track it to prevent the Iraq War and now is being used to bring down Bush. Obviously he's not the only one. The key to all of this is who sent Wilson and why? I sincerely believe Wilson was sent by individuals in the State and CIA in the beginning to try to stop the regime change in Iraq. I don't believe Wilson got his orders to go to Niger from any top officials. It would be like a baseball head coach putting a second baseman on the mound. There's no logic to Wilson's trip. No written report. No confidential agreement which allowed Wilson to publish his "findings" in the media. His trip was set up to throw the administration off pace. I can almost bet the farm that Libby won't see any jail time. He was never the target but a tool or prop in what's been going on. If Libby actually worked in Dem legal firm and worked for Rich then I'm starting to smell the rot in this B.S. CIA Leak. Someone needs to connect the dots. Like the Freepers did during the Rathergate thing. Were seeing every attempt to destroy this President through criminal activity and sedition. It's possible this activity is coming from inside the government itself. Interesting how Bush put Condi in as head of State. Bolton in the UN and so on. I think he knows what's against him and this country. We all need to stop thinking about all of this as a partisan political situation. This is all about pure corruption, money and greed. Not Republican and Dem. If you take the politics out of it and look at it in a plain light you can start to see this.

[arasina]

Hmmm. A Web of International Intrigue. A Puzzle. Here are SOME of the pieces:

- Marc Rich, Criminal Oil Magnate
- Oil for Food Program
- Oil for Terrorism Program / Oil for Nuclear Prolification Program
- IRAQ Oil (in particular)
- $addam, Chirac, Kofi and Niger Tea
- Protect $addam at All Co$t$ ($top The War)
- The Clinton$ and Deni$e Rich (Hillary'$ Campaign / The Clinton Memorial)
- The Midnight Pardon of Marc Rich
- $cooter Libby Happily A$$i$t$ in The Defen$e
- Jet$et Jo$eph Wil$on, his wife Valerie Outed-Plame
- Their boy Elroy ($cooter & The Pre$$)
- One Very U$ed Judith Miller
- Forgery: The French Connection...Wil$on'$ Ex
- Yellow Cake and The $ixteen Word$
- Colin Powell, State Department, TWO Iraq Wars
- Dick Cheney??? hires $cooter as Chief of Staff???? (What is he anyway? A 'stealth' Republican who is so convincing that he can fool the VP? Or is it a case of keeping your enemies close?)

That last piece doesn't fit...unless we also remember that people like Richard Clarke and George Slam-Dunk Tenent were kept on after the Clinton-to-Bush Administrations transition period. And BJ 'Cigars, Sex & Saxophones' Clinton is allowed to bask in respect. He's 'tight' with GHW Bush, doncha know.

Oh well. I have to think about this some more. I like puzzles, but this all seems so incestuous somehow.

[Liz]

In the legalistic, elliptical, convoluted-thinking world of the scooters, anything is possible (snicker).

[rip033]

Here's an Old Freeper post from 2001 I found on Rich and Soros suspected of being in bed together. Don't know if it's true but think in simplicity the dots. It's all about money and corruption. Not about politics. Very interesting.
Check this out. http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3a7d6c502b97.htm

"VITAL POINT 3-- According to knowledgeable U.S. and European investigators, Soros's circle includes indicted metals and commodity speculator and fugitive Marc Rich of Zug, Switzerland and Tel Aviv; secretive Israeli arms and commodity dealer Shaul Eisenberg, and "Dirty Rafi" Eytan, both linked to the financial side of the Israeli Mossad; and, the family of Jacob Lord Rothschild."

"Among Soros's silent investors, these sources say, are the fugitive metals and oil trader Marc Rich, based in Zug, Switzerland; and Shaul Eisenberg, a decades-long member of Israeli Mossad intelligence, who functions as a major arms merchant throughout Asia and the Near East. Eisenberg was recently banned from doing business in Uzbekistan, where he had been accused by the government of massive fraud and corruption. A third Soros partner is Israel's "Dirty Rafi" Eytan, who served in London previously as Mossad liaison to British intelligence." It's very interesting how Soros and Rich names always seem to pop up in issues regarding American Politics and scandal. These connections need to be data-mined.

[WatchingInAmazement]

"looks like they're all in bed together"

Hey, I've been scratching my head since Cheney hired Mary Matlin,wife of James Carville. Talk about being in bed together! And Libby is Mark Rich's good buddy. I guess we know why nothing was ever done to Mark Rich or the Clinton pardons.

[CyberAnt]

I was stunned when I found out this information. Why would anyone want to hire a chief of staff who supported anything connected with Marc Rich.

I wonder what Libby thinks now .. the latest UN Report on the oil for food scandal seems to point directly at Marc Rich's involvement. Which was probably another reason the Clintons didn't want the war in Iraq - and another reason Clinton pardoned Rich in the first place.

[CyberAnt]

"I think the indictment was a case of malicious (special) prosecution."


I concur.

[CyberAnt]

"impeach"


Rush has been talking about this ever since Bush was re-elected. That's why lately the dems have been using terms like "this is worse than watergate". This theme of "lying to get us into the war" has been the theme.

And .. this is why the dems have been after Rove - because Rove is the president's right hand man - and if Rove is dirty it's not too large a leap to connection Rove to the President.

But .. like Rush has been saying .. this is not the 1970's and the media does not have the power it did then. Also, there was a democrat congress in the 70's, and it was easy to intimidate Nixon into thinking they could impeach him - because there were enough dems to do it. That's no longer the case. There are many, many dems who I do not believe would vote for impeachment - and NO REPUBLICAN WITH ANY SENSE WOULD EITHER.

Those facts make it impossible to impeach Bush - but saying those things must make the dems feel better or more powerful or something. When, in reality, it just makes them sound stupid.

[Liz]

Nice collection------every single piece. And BTW, that last piece fits....just eliminate the word "hire."

[Liz]

Hire. Wrong word.

[CyberAnt]

"... or the reporters are lying ..."


Now there's a concept!

[CyberAnt]

"The CIA is another good example, I believe they are working harder to bring Bush down than they are at protecting this country."

I agree .. and as far as "socialists have a bigger hold on this country" .. I noticed the newest movie is based on the Un-American Activites Committee hearings starring none other than - McCarthy - who the socialists hated because he exposed them to the American people.

It's just more of the desperate liberal attempt by the dems to get their power back. Clooney found out it didn't get him any points to say in public what he felt - so now he's participating in a movie which allows him to spew his garbage against conservatives.

I have news for Clooney - his movie won't do that well regardless. Only the mindless liberals will want to watch such a hatchet job .. glorifying the press and attacking the right!

[arasina]

It's all about money and corruption. Not about politics.

Ye$, it i$. (Although I would still include politics, as in New World Order...which of course circles back around to money and corruption, which buys POWER.) The element that is not included in all their devious machinations is We, The People...and GOD.

Anyway, I figured it out. It was Colonel Mustard, in the Library. :o)

uh oh...I just realized it was in the CLINTON Library. Back to square one.