Posted on 04/12/2015 3:45:01 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
".....I listened incredulously only feet from Mr. Holder at his Senate Confirmation hearing as he asserted that the clemency was “reasonable,” as those terrorists were not specifically convicted of killing or harming anyone. However,these terrorists were convicted of willfully and knowingly joining a conspiracy to commit acts of violence. Further,all evidence indicates that those convicted in Chicago were members of the same conspiracy that killed five people in New York,including those in the Fraunces Tavern bombing.
Like the current administration’s untruthful response to the Benghazi attack, the reasons for these Clinton-era clemencies were purely political and an obvious attempt to further Hillary Clinton’s political career. In 1999,Hillary was planning for her 2000 U.S. Senate run. Offering clemency to these individuals was designed to help her gain footing with New York’s Puerto Rican population of 3.5 million people.
However,Clinton and her team miscalculated. Instead of a quiet release and minimal fallout,(like they also hoped for with Benghazi),the terrorists did not immediately accept clemency and a firestorm erupted. The terrorists were allowed an astonishing 30 days to consider their release,as the FBI, Bureau of Prisons,and various law enforcement organizations condemned the offers. Forgotten victims and families like mine publicly demanded answers from the Clintons. The U.S. Senate passed a resolution of condemnation by a 95-2 vote as media outlets hammered the administration.
Many of the same political figures you are hearing about in the scandals of today were involved back then;Eric Holder,Hillary Clinton, and her former Chief of Staff Cheryl Mills,who,in 1999,wrote to congressional investigators to inform them that President Clinton would be asserting executive privilege in the inquiry into the FALN. Because of this executive privilege claim,none of the Justice Department or FBI officials testified at the congressional hearing at which we warned that releasing these terrorists would set a horrible precedent....."
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
Sept 9, 1999
WASHINGTON (CNN) — The White House gave final approval Thursday to the Bureau of Prisons for the release of 11 members of a militant Puerto Rican nationalist group who agreed to renounce violence in return for clemency from President Clinton. The release of the prisoners could begin as early as Friday night.
Another prisoner who accepted clemency still must serve five more years at a federal prison in Florida before he is eligible for release.
The president offered clemency to a total of 16 convicted Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN) members. Two rejected the offer, while two others — who are already out of prison, but would have their fines reduced as part of the deal — have yet to respond and must do so by 5 p.m. EDT Friday.
Granting clemency is a presidential prerogative that cannot be overruled by Congress, but lawmakers formally criticized President Clinton on Thursday for being soft on terrorism. .......”
http://www.cnn.com/US/9909/09/faln.clemency/
Sept 5, 1999:
“Hillary Rodham Clinton, distancing herself from a politically controversial action by her husband, said yesterday that she opposes the release from prison or other forms of clemency for 16 members of a Puerto Rican terrorist group that was involved in more than 100 bombings in this country at least 15 years ago.
When President Clinton announced a clemency offer on Aug. 11, it had strong support from human rights leaders and was widely seen as boosting Hillary Clinton’s standing among New York’s Hispanic voters in her expected campaign for the Senate next year. But a backlash quickly developed against the offer from senior law enforcement officials and leading New York politicians.
In a statement yesterday explaining her position, Hillary Clinton said the prisoners had not renounced further acts of violence, a key condition of the president’s offer. “It’s been three weeks and their silence speaks volumes,” she said.
The back-and-forth underscored the complex – and deepening – interconnection between the presidency and Hillary Clinton’s unfolding Senate campaign.....”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/campaigns/keyraces2000/stories/hillary090599.htm
FALN Commutation of 1999
On August 11, 1999, Clinton commuted the sentences of 16 members of FALN, which is a Puerto Rican paramilitary organization that set off 120 bombs in the United States, mostly in New York City and Chicago. There were convictions for conspiracy to commit robbery, bomb-making, and sedition, as well as firearms and explosives violations.
The 16 were convicted of conspiracy and sedition and sentenced with terms ranging from 35 to 105 years in prison. Congress, however, recognizes that the FALN is responsible for “6 deaths and the permanent maiming of dozens of others, including law enforcement officials.”
....Congress condemned this action by President Clinton, with votes of 95-2 in the Senate and 311-41 in the House.[10][11] The U.S. House Committee on Government Reform held an investigation on the matter, but the Justice Department prevented FBI officials from testifying. President Clinton cited executive privilege for his refusal to turn over some documents to Congress related to his decision to offer clemency to members of the FALN terrorist group.
Among those who accepted clemency are:
Edwin Cortes, sentenced to 35 years in prison.
Elizam Escobar, sentenced to 60 years in prison.
Ricardo Jimenez, sentenced to 90 years in prison.
Adolfo Matos, sentenced to 70 years in prison.
Dylcia Noemi Pagan, sentenced to 55 years in prison.
Alicia Rodríguez, sentenced to 55 years in prison.
Ida Luz Rodriguez, sentenced to 75 years in prison.
Luis Rosa, sentenced to 75 years in prison.
Carmen Valentin, sentenced to 90 years in prison.
Alberto Rodriguez, sentenced to 35 years in prison.
Alejandrina Torres, sentenced to 35 years in prison.
Those who rejected clemency include:
Juan Enrique Segarra-Palmer, sentenced to 55 years in prison; released on 25 January 2004.
Oscar López Rivera, sentenced to 70 years in prison refused clemency and remains incarcerated.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Clinton_pardon_controversy
They were given clemency [not pardons] and their sentences commuted.
Purchased or bribed?
First Lady Hillary Clinton's youngest brother, Tony Rodham, was an acquaintance of the Gregorys, and had lobbied Clinton on their behalf. In October 2006, the group Judicial Watch filed a request with the U.S. Justice Department for an investigation, alleging that Rodham had received $107,000 from the Gregorys for the pardons in the form of loans that were never repaid, as part of a quid pro quo scheme. - Bill's Pardons
ALL bribes.
Critics complained that Denise Eisenberg Rich, his former wife, had made substantial donations to both the Clinton library and to Mrs. Clinton's senate campaign.
According to Paul Volcker's independent investigation of Iraqi Oil-for-Food kickback schemes, Marc Rich was a middleman for several suspect Iraqi oil deals involving over 4 million barrels (640,000 m3) of oil...."
Eric Holder was a twisted creature long ago. His previous proclivities were not unknown, they were simply overlooked, or even considered to be resume enhancements for the Senate of the time, in 2009.
Herself, Madame Benghazi, the Cold & Joyless, is very far away from the 16-year-old “Goldwater Girl” of 1964. Herself has even come a long way since being on the team that was preparing articles of impeachment against Richard Nixon in 1974, from which Herself was discharged for instituting lies and demanding extreme restrictions on the President to even bring a defense.
For as much as Herself seems to have despised Nixon, definitely emulating the example of Nixon, and even improving on the techniques, appears to be a most sincere form of flattery. Herself can get it right.
Hillary would mean 8 more years of Eric Holder.
How Bill Clinton purchased the N.Y. Senate seat for his wife.
Just remember that supposed conservatives like Jeff Sessions helped Holder gain his seat by approving him as a non-political person.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/us/politics/03holder.html?hp&_r=1&;
It is one reason I do not trust the GOP.
“Eric Holder was a twisted creature long ago. His previous proclivities were not unknown, they were simply overlooked, or even considered to be resume enhancements for the Senate of the time, in 2009.”
It is worse than that, as supposed conservatives facilitated him as AG. See Jeff Sessions’s quote in post 14
This was a stealth pardon-—w/ Clinton wielding the pardon pen at midnight to avoid scrutiny-—facilitated by then-deputy AG Holder.
The DOJ was furious that Eric Holder had ignored protocol-—and had not informed them of the pardon.
(Course that was a long time ago-—when we had laws). (snix)
The Klintons are in bed with the terrorists and that should be enough to have them charged for aiding and abetting.
Clinton pardon papers release blocked
/ 3/7/2008, By Peter Eisler, USA TODAY
LITTLE ROCK — Federal archivists at the Clinton Presidential Library are blocking the release of hundreds of pages of White House papers on pardons that the former president approved, including clemency for fugitive commodities trader Marc Rich.
The archivists' decision, based on guidance provided by Bill Clinton that restricts the disclosure of advice he received from aides, prevents public scrutiny of documents that would shed light on how he decided which pardons to approve from among hundreds of requests.
Clinton's legal agent declined the option of reviewing and releasing the documents that were withheld, said the archivists, who work for the federal government, not the Clintons.
The decision to withhold the records could provide fodder for critics who say that the former president and his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, now seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, have been unwilling to fully release documents to public scrutiny.
Officials with the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., criticized Hillary Clinton this week for not doing more to see that records from her husband's administration are made public. "She's been reluctant to disclose information," Obama's chief strategist, David Axelrod, told reporters in a conference call in which he specifically cited the slow release records from the Clinton library. "If she's not willing to be open with (voters) on these issues now, why would she be open as president?"
In January 2006, USA TODAY requested documents about the pardons under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The library made 4,000 pages available this week. However, 1,500 pages were either partially redacted or withheld entirely, including 300 pages covering internal White House communications on pardon decisions, such as memos to and from the president, and reports on which pardon requests the Justice Department opposed.
In a statement, the Clinton campaign said that "all of the redactions made to the pardon-related documents were made by (the National Archives)."
Former president Clinton issued 140 pardons on his last day in office, including several to controversial figures, such as commodities trader Rich, then a fugitive on tax evasion charges. Rich's ex-wife, Denise, contributed $2,000 in 1999 to Hillary Clinton's Senate campaign; $5,000 to a related political action committee; and $450,000 to a fund set up to build the Clinton library.
The president also pardoned two men who each paid Sen. Clinton's brother, Hugh Rodham, about $200,000 to lobby the White House for pardons — one for a drug conviction and one for mail fraud and perjury convictions, according to a 2002 report by the House committee on government reform. After the payments came to light, Bill Clinton issued a statement: "Neither Hillary nor I had any knowledge of such payments," the report said.
The pardon records released by the library divulge little that might settle debate about those and other pardons. But they do shed new light on the volume of clemency requests that former president Clinton received — and the pressures he and his staff faced as friends, advisers, political leaders and foreign heads of state weighed in to influence which petitions would be granted.
Most of the withheld documents, including dozens of clemency pleas sent to the president, were blocked from release under FOIA rules that protect personal privacy. The 300 pages of internal White House documents on pardon requests were blocked under the Presidential Records Act of 1978, which allows presidents to maintain the confidentiality of communications with their advisers for up to 12 years after they leave office.
In 2002, Clinton sent a guidance letter to his library that urged quick release of most White House records but retained the confidentiality prerogative covering advice from his staff. Still, Clinton said the restriction should be interpreted "narrowly" and allowed that certain records detailing internal communications could be made public if reviewed and approved for release by his designated legal agent.
Emily Robison, the library's deputy director, said Clinton's agent, former deputy White House counsel Bruce Lindsey, chose not to review the withheld documents.
Lindsey "was given the opportunity to look at what we withheld under the (president's) guidelines, and he chose not to. … Only Mr. Lindsey and the president have the authority to open those," she said.
The William J. Clinton Foundation, which Lindsey helps oversee, said in a written statement that the National Archives is responsible for deciding which records are withheld under the Presidential Records Act. Archivists were exclusively responsible for "determinations with respect to these materials," the statement said.
Blanton noted that Lindsey's refusal to review the withheld documents could be viewed as an effort to ensure the archivists' independence. "He's saying the professional archivists get to make this determination; it's not a political determination." release of White House records, Blanton said.
---SNIP--
SOURCE http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-03-06-clinton-library-foia_N.htm
At the same time, Pres Clinton pardoned four Orthodox New Square residents who were convicted of obtaining federal funds by fraud---convicted in 1999 on charges of swindling the US government of $40 million in Pell grants, small-business loans and housing subsidies.
Later New Square gave Senate candidate Hillary an enthusiastic town reception. Mrs. Clinton subsequently received the votes of 1,359 New Square residents; 10 voted for her opponent.
Since the furor erupted over the grants of clemency, Senator Clinton said that the issue did not come up during the August campaign stop in New Square, located about 20 miles north of New York City in Rockland County. However, the New York Post, quoting unidentified sources, has reported that the matter in fact was discussed either during the visit in which Mrs. Clinton met with both Rabbi Twersky and his wife, or closer to the election.
The newspaper identified Paul Adler, then a Rockland County Democratic party official, as a behind-the-scenes player. Adler since has been indicted by federal officials on an unrelated corruption charge.
Prior to Hillary's election, a letter from President Clinton was posted in the main synagogue in which he said he looked forward to making his own visit to New Square someday.
On Dec. 22, Orthodox New Square officials met President Bill Clinton and then Senator-elect Clinton in the White House Map Room, where the issue of clemency was discussed, along with other issues.
SOURCE http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/03/07/470866/-Bill-Clinton-s-Curious-New-Square-Four-Pardon
NOTE: A PBS-TV web site details its documentary on Orthodox in America---designated "disadvantaged minorities, eligible for low cost SBA loans, housing subsidies, Pell grants, and a host of federal giveaways.
“The Klintons are in bed with the terrorists and that should be enough to have them charged for aiding and abetting.”
Yes they are, but trying to convince people of that is impossible.
For some reason people want to believe there is a line the Clintons would never cross and collaborating with the terrorist is that line.
It doesn’t matter what evidence you put in front of their face showing the Clintons are collaborating with the terrorist they refuse to believe it.
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