ederal prosecutors said yesterday that no criminal wrongdoing was committed when President Bill Clinton commuted the sentences of four swindlers from a Hasidic enclave in New York State that voted overwhelmingly for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.Posted on 06/20/2002 10:43:42 PM PDT by JohnHuang2
ederal prosecutors said yesterday that no criminal wrongdoing was committed when President Bill Clinton commuted the sentences of four swindlers from a Hasidic enclave in New York State that voted overwhelmingly for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.
James B. Comey, the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a two-sentence statement that he had closed his investigation of clemency granted to the four men from New Square, N.Y.
Mr. Comey said he would continue the investigation into the more than 170 other pardons and clemencies Mr. Clinton granted on his last day of office, including the one that has drawn the most ire: a pardon for the financier Marc Rich, a commodities trader who fled the country in 1983.
The New Square case also drew attention because of its mix of the Clintons, New York ethnic politics and suggestions of vote-trading.
The four men, convicted of bilking the state and federal government of tens of millions of dollars, were prominent members of New Square, a reclusive Rockland County village. The village leaders' aggressive courting of the president and Mrs. Clinton before and after the 2000 Senate election raised questions of whether the men's sentences were reduced in exchange for votes.
"The investigation was closed because we thoroughly investigated and determined it wasn't appropriate to bring charges against anybody in the case," Mr. Comey said at a news conference on an unrelated case. "I can't really go into it because it was an investigation that didn't result in charges. That may be a frustrating answer, but that's the one I'm compelled to give."
Mrs. Clinton, who had denied any improprieties, would not comment.
Mr. Clinton was quoted by The Associated Press as saying: "I'm certainly not surprised. There was never any reason to believe anybody had done anything wrong, even in the first place. So I'm not surprised. I think the facts speak for themselves."
A spokeswoman for Mr. Clinton said he would have no further comment.
In the investigation, Rockland County Democratic Party records were seized and politicians and community members testified before a grand jury. Prosecutors never disclosed what crime they suspected, but legal experts said possibilities included bribery or some kind of voter fraud.
The four New Square men were convicted in 1999 of bilking government aid programs and funneling the money back to the yeshiva in their community of 7,000 people, about 30 miles northwest of Manhattan. Mr. Clinton reduced by several months the federal prison terms of the men, Benjamin Berger, David Goldstein, Kalmen Stern and Jacob Elbaum. They were released from prison this year.
The mastermind of the scheme, Chaim Berger, 76, a founder of the village, was returned to the United States from Israel last summer. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced last month to six years in prison and ordered to pay more than $11 million in restitution.
Mrs. Clinton met with leaders of the community in August 2000 and again, with Mr. Clinton, in December 2000 after the election. New Square voters gave her 1,400 votes to 12 for the Republican candidate, former Representative Rick A. Lazio. Mrs. Clinton's aides have said clemency did not come up in the August meeting and, when it was raised in the December meeting, she offered no comment.
Rabbi Mayer Schiller, a spokesman for David Twersky, the spiritual leader of the village, said yesterday that the community was happy the investigation was over. "I think at this point it is best not to cast aspersions upon the intent of the entire investigation, and let us put this past us," he said.
And the New York Times darn well knows that, of course. The editors also know most people don't get much beyond the headlines.
Sure, an OJ Senate Jury gave him a pass, but the mark of being the first elected "president" charged with having commited High Crimes and Misdemeanors is indelible.
That's his legacy.
Moreover, while we're on the subject of 'firsts', bear in mind Clinton was the first sitting 'president' to be sanctioned by a federal judge for contempt of court.
Liars. Oh, I loathe the Clymers....
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