The First Look At Hillary Documents

Captain's Quarters ^ | Jan. 17, 2008 | Ed Morrissey

[jdm]

Judicial Watch has tried to gain access to the records from Hillary Clinton's task force on revamping the American health-care system, and has been met with considerable resistance. After seeing the first batch released by the Clinton library, one can certainly understand why. In a press release from Judicial Watch earlier this evening, they excerpted some explosive passages within the documents, passages which will create some uncomfortable questions for Hillary on the campaign trail.

First, an internal critique of Hillary's plan marveled at the unprecedented scope of government control over a private industry -- at least in peacetime:

A June 18, 1993 internal Memorandum entitled, “A Critique of Our Plan,” authored by someone with the initials “P.S.,” makes the startling admission that critics of Hillary’s health care reform plan were correct: “I can think of parallels in wartime, but I have trouble coming up with a precedent in our peacetime history for such broad and centralized control over a sector of the economy…Is the public really ready for this?... none of us knows whether we can make it work well or at all…”

The other two excerpts paint the effort in an entirely new and darker light. First, Senator Jay Rockefeller proposed that the federal government conduct smear campaigns against the opponents of the plan:

A “Confidential” May 26, 1993 Memorandum from Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) to Hillary Clinton entitled, “Health Care Reform Communications,” which criticizes the Task Force as a “secret cabal of Washington policy ‘wonks’” that has engaged in “choking off information” from the public regarding health care reform. The memorandum suggests that Hillary Clinton “use classic opposition research” to attack those who were excluded by the Clinton Administration from Task Force deliberations and to “expose lifestyles, tactics and motives of lobbyists” in order to deflect criticism.

Rockefeller had allies in mind for this effort:

Senator Rockefeller also suggested news organizations “are anxious and willing to receive guidance [from the Clinton Administration] on how to time and shape their [news] coverage.”

Wow. Media Matters should contact Rockefeller to disabuse him of the myth of the liberal-biased press!

Some might wonder about the notion of the White House digging up dirt on its critics in order to shut them up. Of course, this memo came from Rockefeller to Hillary, and no one can say whether she responded affirmatively or scolded Rockefeller for his dangerous suggestion. We can say that the suggestion came up earlier:

A February 5, 1993 Draft Memorandum from Alexis Herman and Mike Lux detailing the Office of Public Liaison’s plan for the health care reform campaign. The memorandum notes the development of an “interest group data base” detailing whether or not organizations “support(ed) us in the election.” The database would also track personal information about interest group leaders, such as their home phone numbers, addresses, “biographies, analysis of credibility in the media, and known relationships with Congresspeople.”

Anyone remember Craig Livingstone and the 700 FBI raw-data files that the White House obtained illegally? The story broke in 1996, but the files got accessed in 1993 by the former director of the White House Office of Personnel Security. Judicial Watch sued over the case, attempting to uncover the reason the highly-confidential files were requested by the Clinton White House.

Even without that, the idea that the government should essentially spy on its critics as a means to extort their silence or to discredit them publicly is completely noxious. If nothing else, Rockefeller should have to answer for his proposal, and Hillary should produce her response to it. Voters should pay particularly close attention to this and remember how the Clintons worked and how they would undoubtedly work again if allowed back into the White House.

NOTE: Judicial Watch's website is down for some reason at the moment. I'll link to the specific documents when the site comes back up.

[Loud Mime]

Judicial Watch’s site is down? After posting evidence against the Clintons?

I’m shocked!

[gusopol3]

the idea that the government should essentially spy on its critics

Do you think Daniel Schorr was on this list ,too ? Do you think I should buy a copy of NYT tomorrow to read about this stuff on the front page?

[truemiester]

Do you think the Judicial Watch website was “Vince Foster”ed?

[ConservativeMind]

It’s kind of interesting.

Barely a couple hours go by and a bus in Nevada loaded with casino workers injures 40 occupants. This, after Bill Clinton and Hillary are trumped by a judge saying the voting can occur in apparently Obama-favorable casinos to help casino workers vote.

It appears the Clintons try their very best to physically attack their adversaries.

Just ask the dozens of people murdered in their wake in the prior several decades...

[NonValueAdded]

this one’s for you

[rdb3]

Judicial Watch’s site is down? After posting evidence against the Clintons?

It's slow, but up.

[kcvl]

Senator Rockefeller also suggested news organizations “are anxious and willing to receive guidance [from the Clinton Administration] on how to time and shape their [news] coverage.”

[tips up]

And I’m sure we’ll be hearing about this on the Today Show, GMA or Morning Joe...

Have to wait for Rush to bring it up.

[jdm]

Thanks, NVA.

[Fudd Fan]

Just ask the dozens of people murdered in their wake

Just guessing, but that might be a little tough to do.

[jdm]

A June 18, 1993 internal Memorandum entitled, “A Critique of Our Plan,” authored by someone with the initials “P.S.,...”

Whose initials could be P.S.?

[ditto h]

I didn’t hear about an accident. Tell me more Please.

[doug from upland]

Good stuff. I really would like it, however, if Judicial Watch gave Peter several of the millions of dollars it raised and never spent on his case.

[jdm]

I know, what a shocker. /sarc

And to think, this was 1993.

[Loud Mime]

The children of Waco suffered from Bill Clinton's rage. His followers gave him a pass.

[mojo114]

Senator Jay Rockefeller comes up in a whole bunch of nefarious ways.

[Anti-Bubba182]

Hillary will say this is not what she plans now or nothing and launch her flying monkeys to suppress this disclosure.

[F-117A]

Thanks for the post bump!

[doug from upland]

Chronology of a Cover Up

Jan. 25, 1993
Hillary appointed head of Health Care Task Force

Feb. 11, 1993
NLPC demands White House open meetings

Feb. 16, 1993
White House Counsel Bernard Nussbaum refuses NLPC request to open secret meetings

Feb. 24, 1993
NLPC and two other groups file suit

Mar. 3, 1993
Task force director Ira Magaziner lies to NLPC under oath

Mar 10, 1993
Federal Judge Royce C. Lamberth orders Hillary to open meetings

May 31, 1993
Task Force allegedly disbands

June 14, 1993
Washington Times reports shredding of Task Force documents

June 15, 1993
Judge Lamberth orders White House to stop destroying documents.

Sept. 22, 1993
Administration presents health care plan to Congress

Dec. 21, 1994
Judge Lamberth accuses Magaziner of lying and asks U.S. Attorney Eric Holder for criminal investigation

Jan. 6, 1995
Washington Post reports that Holder is under consideration for appointment to federal judgeship

Jan. 23, 1995
NLPC requests that Attorney General Janet Reno appoint special prosecutor to investigate Magaziner perjury

Mar. 3, 1995
Reno announces she won’t appoint special prosecutor

Aug. 3, 1995
U.S. Attorney Holder announces he won’t prosecute Magaziner.