Posted on 06/20/2002 7:46:48 AM PDT by RaceBannon
Ashcroft to Make it Official: Clintons Are Above the Law
Attorney General John Ashcroft is said to be ready to close out a key aspect of his Justice Department investigation into the Clinton pardon trading scandal, effectively confirming that both the ex-president and his New York senator wife are now officially above the law.
"The Justice Department is expected within a month to shut down its probe into whether (then-President) Clinton gave clemency to four convicted felons of the Hasidic enclave of New Square after the town voted 1,400 to 12 for Hillary Clinton in her Senate election," the New York Daily News reported Thursday.
"The New Square part is likely to be closed without criminal charges being brought," a source familiar with the investigation told The News.
Four New Square Hasidic rabbis, who had been jailed for bilking the government out of millions of dollars earmarked for anti-poverty programs, were freed from jail earlier this year as a result of the Clinton clemency deal.
Hasidic communities surrounding New Square that weren't granted any special presidential favors voted heavily for Mrs. Clinton's opponent, Rick Lazio.
The decision to clear Mrs. Clinton comes despite earlier reports that at least one witness had fingered her in the vote-trading conspiracy.
Prosecutors had found a witness who says the senator was present during discussions of clemency before the election, sources familiar with the probe told the News in January.
The investigation into Clinton's illegal pardon of fugitive billionaire Marc Rich, as well smoking gun evidence that former first brother Roger Clinton traded pardon promises for cash, remains open. But after more than a year of relative inactivity, observers also expect those probes to end without indictments.
The contrast with other more recent Justice Department prosecutions couldn't be more stark, illustrating what government probers can do when they're not constrained by political considerations.
The accounting giant Arthur Andersen, for instance, was convicted just last week based on an indictment that charged the entire company with obstruction of justice. The conviction left more than a few legal experts wondering about prosecutorial overreach.
The recent conviction of Michael Skakel for the 26-year-old murder of Martha Moxley was based entirely on circumstantial evidence, in a case that appeared far weaker than the one prosecutors have built against the Clintons.
Though the Skakel conviction wasn't a federal prosecution, the surprise guilty verdict illustrates what prosecutors can accomplish when they're interested in actually enforcing the law.
Beyond Pardongate, the Bush Justice Department has either plea bargained or abandoned outright other possible prosecutions against the Clintons, while ignoring altogether additional serious reports of wrongdoing, including:
• Allegations that Indonesian billionaire James Riady illegally funneled millions of dollars into Clinton presidential campaigns.
• Reports that the Clinton White House withheld and or attempted to destroy millions of evidentiary e-mails that had been subpeonaed by the Office of Independent Counsel.
• Complaints from Clinton accusers Gennifer Flowers, Paula Jones, Juanita Broaddrick and Elizabeth Ward Gracen that they were subjected to politically motivated IRS audits after speaking out about sexual encounters with the president.
• Charges from Democratic Party contributor Peter Paul that the Clintons failed to report his $2 million donation to the Federal Election Commission.
• Allegations that Mrs. Clinton's acceptance of an $8 million book advance after she was elected to the Senate may have violated federal bribery statutes.
• A complaint from White House whistleblower Linda Tripp that officials with the Clinton Pentagon illegally leaked information from her confidential employment file to the media.
• Reports that a Westchester County police officer may have been threatened with the loss of his job for talking about an accident where he was seriously injured by a car carrying Mrs. Clinton.
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Even more so when we fail to prosecute. Are you saying that none of those cases emboldened in #34 have enough evidence to Indict anybody within the Clinton Administration?! And once we start holding mid-level staffers accountable, think about the testimony that we could receive about Clinton's biggest crimes!!
This stinks to high Heaven...MUD
HIllary traded a pardon for votes. And the Justice Department is going to let it drop.
Now. Could it be proven in court? With the team of OJ lawyers the Dimwits could muster?
Would this sideshow command the nightly news and attention of a nation with President Bush being made out as the mean bully going against poor Mz. Hillary?
As much as it nauseates me to let these crimes slide - I suppose this administration simply does not view such a nightly sideshow as conducive to carrying out the business of this country.
I don't happen to agree with that point of view.
But that is what it is.
And I will voice my opinion to the RNC and Republican heirarchy.
I just come back to this.
The President inherited an executive branch that is fully and totally corrupt, apparently (as we are learning from the daily revelations about the FBI and the CIA and NSA.
Of course it was corrupt. The Clinton crime machine corrupts everything it touches.
He also inherited an emaciated, demoralized military.
And then this nation was attacked.
We are under threat daily of new attacks - and so is he, by the way.
The President is determined to get as much accomplished as possible under these circumstances....while trying to keep our country safe, the Middle East from exploding in war, and India and Pakistan from beginning a nucleare exchange.
No President in recent memory has had to govern under such conditions. NONE.
Reagan did have the Cold War realities to deal with and the Jimmy Carter disaster to try to correct. But NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING like having to deal with a totally criminal, treacherous previous administration!
I, too, want the Clintons arrested and put on trial. We must.
But perhaps we will just have to wait for a "new crime" to be committed by them. At least, perhaps, now, there are a few people loyal to this country instead of being loyal to the Clintons who might be paying attention to their crimes.....we can only hope. If they do what they did again - we can only hope and pray someone will be paying attention now who, before, would not have been. Who knows? Maybe the Clintonistas will make our day and cross the criminal line again - and be caught. Pray for this.
Yeah, I know, sad isn't it.
Would you rather have a Monica replay and lose both the House and Senate? (playing devil's advocate here)
and just what Is that supposta mean Geezerette? If the "R"s uphold the "LAW" then the "FBI" file can't be held over their heads can it?? IF the "R"s aren't Upholding the law, and it say's so in the "FBI" file, I for one frankly would like to KNOW about it, so they will be removed from office ASAP!
Always an excuse to NOT hold someone accountable. How about standing up for JUSTICE and to hell with the Politicking of it all? HOW ABOUT forcing the ELECTED OFFICIALS ACCOUNTABLE to the PEOPLE THAT GAVE THEM THE DANG JOBS?? How about that CONCEPT?
It’ll do just as much good.
I'm at work, and don't want to yell at my wall here, so I sent an e-mail to my wall at home. Here's the response I got back:
Dear concerned citizen,
I greatly appreciate your opinion regarding this issue. By staying involved and working together on this important problem, we can have a great and positive impact on the daily lives of our fellow citizens.
I look forward to your continued support. On to victory in November!
Sincerely,
Congressman Wall,
5th Congressional District.
I certainly feel better!
Like Vince Foster and Ron Brown? I wish it were that easy. I don't trust it...
And, so now, Ashcroft is simply a coward?
They are wrong. You are right.
Yes, they will.
Wow. I gotta become a Democrat. Then I can steal, rape, and kill with impunity. All I need to do is make sure any resulting investigation takes more than a year.
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