The man whose memory failure helped save Bill Clinton's presidency

This weekend, dozens of former top Clinton White House officials will gather in Little Rock to mark the tenth anniversary of the Clinton Presidential Library.

Among those attending will be Vernon Jordan, the legendary Washington lawyer and political fixer who was close to Bill Clinton throughout the White House years. When Clinton got himself into the worst jam of his presidency — the Lewinsky scandal — Jordan was the man he turned to for help.

Jordan helped calm a near-hysterical Monica Lewinsky, gave her advice on dealing with investigators, and found her a job. But Jordan's most valuable service to the president came during the scandal's grand jury investigation, when he testified under oath that he could not remember key events in the Lewinsky matter — events in which he had played a central role. Jordan could have told the grand jury a lot about Clinton's activities, but he chose to remain silent.

Now, his memory greatly improved, Jordan will be among other Clinton veterans in Little Rock, reminiscing about his years close to the White House.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20120613/BLOGS03/120619909/washington-meets-chicago-for-upcoming-jarrett-wedding

Washington meets Chicago for upcoming Jarrett wedding
June 13, 2012

When Valerie Jarrett’s daughter, Laura, takes her wedding vows Saturday, she’ll be doing it in the comfy backyard of her grandmother’s Hyde Park home on Greenwood Avenue.

(snip)

Chicagoans expected to attend include Valerie Jarrett’s closest friends — many of whom are also President Barack Obama’s good friends. They include Martin Nesbitt and his wife, Dr. Anita Blanchard (the obstetrician who delivered the Obama daughters, Sasha and Malia); and University of Chicago Dr. Eric Whitaker and his wife, Dr. Cheryl Whitaker,a health care executive.

The Obama, Nesbitt, Whitaker and Jarrett families have long celebrated birthdays and taken vacations together.

They’re neighbors, too. The Jarrett home is a block away from the Obama home in the Kenwood neighborhood. And Mr. Nesbitt’s home is a quick walk from there as well.

Also attending the wedding in full force will be Ms. Jarrett’s relatives, including Vernon Jordan and his wife, Ann, from Washington. Mr. Jordan is the former president of the National Urban League and was a trusted adviser to former President Bill Clinton. He’s also a great uncle to Ms. Jarrett.

The Dibble family will be there, too. Ms. Jordan was a Dibble, and her niece Kelly King Dibble is a longtime friend of Ms. Jarrett and Ms. Obama, dating back to the time they all worked for the Chicago Planning Department.

The Dibbles and Jordans are hosting a party at Gibsons for wedding guests on Sunday after the wedding.

Even the Chicago connections to the wedding have a Washington spin.

Mr. Balkissoon is an associate at Sidley Austin LLP, where Newt Minow is senior counsel. Mr. Minow recruited Mr. Obama in 1988 to work for his law firm as a summer associate, where the future president of the United States would meet Michelle Obama. The bride is an associate in the Chicago office of law firm Mayer Brown.

http://politics.suntimes.com/article/washington/valerie-jarrett-daughter-wedding-besides-obama-who-was-there/sun-06172012-206pm

WASHINGTON—Cook County Circuit Court Judge Neil Cohen officiated at the Saturday wedding of the daughter of White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett,

(snip)

-Laura Jarrett married Tony Balkissoon before family and friends. The two met while at Harvard Law School and the graduates of HLS ‘10 now practice at rival Chicago law firms, Balkisson at Sidley Austin and Jarrett at Mayer Brown. Cohen sits in the Chancery Division at the Daley Center and is the husband of Jarrett friend and confidante Susan Sher, who is the former chief of staff for the First Lady. Cohen also is close to Jarrett’s parents: her late father Dr. James Bowman, who died last year, and her mother, Dr. Barbara Bowman Sher left the White House last year and is now the Executive Vice President for Corporate Strategy and Public Affairs at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

(snip)

Among those present: Newton and Jo Minow: Minow is a senior counsel at Sidley. When Obama was at Harvard Law School, Minow recommended that Sidley hire him for a summer job in Chicago. Obama took the job and met his future wife, Michelle, at the firm. Minow’s daughter, Martha, is the Harvard Law School dean. John Levi: Levi is the Sidley partner who actually hired Obama—and before him, one Michelle Robinson. Obama tapped Levi to be the Chairman of the Legal Services Corporation. Obama also appointed Martha Minow to the Legal Services board. Martin Nesbitt: He is a close personal friend of Jarrett and the Obamas’ and lives a few blocks away. Lesser known is that he is the treasurer of the Obama for America campaign committee. His wife, Dr. Anita Blanchard is also one of Mrs. Obama’s closest friends; she delivered the Obama daughters. She is an Associate Professor of Obstetrics/Gynecology at the U of C Medical School—where Dr. James Bowman was the professor emeritus in the departments of Pathology and Medicine. Eric and Cheryl Whitaker: The couple are close to Jarrett and the First Couple. Whitaker and Nesbitt are also frequent golfing companions of the president. On Sunday, the men were playing at the Beverly Country Club at 87th and Western. Whitaker is the Executive Vice President for Strategic Affiliations and Associate Dean for Community-Based Research at the U of C Medical Center. Vernon and Ann Jordan: While Jordan has a high national profile - a Washington insider’s insider—the connection with Jarrett is through Ann, a cousin. Ann Dibble Jordan is a former Chicagoan with long-time connections to the University of Chicago, where she is a trustee emeritus. John Rogers and his daughter, Victoria: Rogers, the founder of Ariel Investments, grew up with Jarrett on South Greenwood. Years later, by chance, Rogers recruited one Craig Robinson to play basketball at Princeton. Robinson is Mrs. Obama’s brother. Rogers is a major Obama fund-raiser. His former wife—Victoria’s mother—is Desiree Rogers, a former White House Social Secretary whose departure strained the relationship with Jarrett and Mrs. Obama. Roxanne Ward: A friend who is a former executive at at Ariel. Paula Wolff and Wayne Whalen: Wolff—who has a long civic resume—Mayor Rahm Emanuel tapped her to head the City Colleges Board in February—and Whalen—a partner at Skadden Arps—are longtime Jarrett neighbors, living on the same block on South Greenwood. Antoinette Cook Bush: a Jarrett cousin who is a partner at Skadden. Attorney General Eric Holder and Sharon Malone: While Holder gets most of the attention, lesser known is that his wife, an ob-gyn, is also a close friend to Jarrett and Mrs. Obama. Allison and Susan Davis: Obama joined Davis’ law firm out of Harvard Law School. The couple live in Kenwood. Dan and Fay Hartog Levin: Jarrett was a one-time top staffer for former Mayor Richard M. Daley. When she left City Hall, she landed at The Habitat Company, founded by Dan Levin. She became Habitat president in 2007. Obama tapped Mrs. Levin to be the U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands, a position she resigned last year.

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