O'Reilly: Bush Insider Claims Clinton Deal Torpedoed Pardongate

News max ^ | 06/21/2002 | With Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff

[dts32041]

O'Reilly: Bush Insider Claims Clinton Deal Torpedoed Pardongate

A Bush administration insider has privately leaked word that a deal was struck between Democratic congressional leaders and the Bush White House not to prosecute Bill and/or Hillary Clinton on an array of charges related to the Pardongate scandal, Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly claimed Friday on his nationally syndicated "Radio Factor" show.

"A very highly placed source - and I mean this guy knows what's going on in the Bush administration - told me about a month ago that when President Bush took office he had meetings with all of the Democratic leadership.... one on one meetings in the Oval Office," O'Reilly said.

"The Democratic leadership made it quite clear to Mr. Bush that he would not get any cooperation - zero - on the part of the Democrats in the Senate and in the House if he pursued any kind of a criminal investigation against Bill Clinton."

O'Reilly said that according to his source, "Basically they said look, if you embarrass us - by us we mean the Democratic Party - if you, Bush-Ashcroft, indict Clinton on bribery or go after Hillary or any of this - we're gonna shut you down. We're not gonna do anything. You're not going to get any (legislation) passed if four years."

The talk host's highly placed administration source said Democrat leaders then explained to Bush, "If you put this thing on the back track and just play the game the way we've always played it here in the Justice Department since Watergate, where the powerful protect each other - then we'll keep an open mind on your legislation."

O'Reilly never indicated who his source might be beyond describing him as "very highly placed."

On Thursday, U.S. Attorney for New York's Southern District James Comey, a Bush appointee, ended a key part of the probe into whether the Clintons traded pardons for political favors and campaign contributions.

[dts32041]

No comment, just wondered why this hasn't Shown up before?

[LarryM]

Notice how Bush caved into these threats.

[coug97]

they obviously haven't kept their word, perhaps he should do something before the statute of limitations runs out.

[dawn53]

The talk host's highly placed administration source said Democrat leaders then explained to Bush, "If you put this thing on the back track and just play the game the way we've always played it here in the Justice Department since Watergate, where the powerful protect each other - then we'll keep an open mind on your legislation."

And of course, haven't you noticed the Senate has been soooo cooperative with Bush because they were afraid he might renege and go back and open up Pardongate again.

Bullfeathers!

The Senate has not been cooperative, his judicial nominees have been stalled, etc. If this is true and there was a deal, then we wouldn't see little Tommy Daschle being the obstructionist that he is.

[Northpaw]

- if you, Bush-Ashcroft, indict Clinton on bribery or go after Hillary or any of this - we're gonna shut you down. We're not gonna do anything.

So, did I miss the indictment?

[Aria]

You gotta love those Democrats, they say they'll torpedo legislation, shut the country down to protect the criminal President and his wife from answering for their crimes. It had to be a bluff and apparently W fell for it.

[mykdsmom]

we're gonna shut you down. We're not gonna do anything. You're not going to get any (legislation) passed if four years."

Gee if the first 2 years of Bush's presidency is any indication of what they consider passing legislation than we're definately getting shafted.

This is a crock, Dash-hole and co. have been anything but cooperative so far, why should the Republicans expect anything else in the next 2 years?

MKM

[Miss Marple]

Who is this insider? Not a Bush loyalist, obviously.

I don't believe this is true, and I think the story came from the leader of the Axis of Whining Weasels,

BILL KRISTOL!!

[smith288]

That makes alot of sense (not). during a war, he could have seriously started going into the Clinton scandals and used the democraps worthelss threat against them in Nov.

"Look folks, we are at war and congress did nothing, presumably due to the Clinton investigation. If this is how congress is ran, then i think the American people can make up their own mind." - Bush around Nov elections (i hope)

[RJCogburn]

I don't believe this is true

Neither do I, Miss M.

[MHGinTN]

If the true sovereigns of this once great republic were paying any attention to the criminal enterprises of federal politics, pursuing the criminal highjinxer, sinkemperor Willy, would be worth it, but the people don't appear to give a tinkers damn about cleaning up government 'of the people by the people'. It is a crisis of disinterest and the bread and circuses mentality of the American people that is at fault, not the Bush administration or John Ashcroft. 'We the people' get what we deserve for our inattention.

[mickie]

Maybe Bush should turn the tables on those Dems.......tell them that if they don't pass his programs/nominations he IS going after the clintons etc.

[rface]

[Mahone]

Notice how Bush caved into these threats.

Bunk! Dubya is a decent and a wise man who does what he believes is RIGHT, I'm sure the LAST thing he would do is worry about the Democrats!

[Wild Irish Rogue]

GW doesn't look like anyone who would tolerate being threatened, especially not from little Tom. For this to be believable,career prosecutors, with good reputations, would have to ignore evidence of crimes.That would make them culpable in a crime cover up. Pure fantasy on O'Reilly's "sources".

[Tourist Guy]

#11

Your words ring too true my friend.

[kayak]

This sounds like a very large load of horsefeathers to me!

Note that this secret deal supposedly took place when Bush took office and yet it included Ashcroft ..... who was not confirmed for quite a while after that and then only after a very nasty fight ..... well, one side was fighting dirty, anyway.

[Torie]

Sorry, I don't believe this. If the Dems threatened that, the GOP would have loved to leak it. Perhaps more like it is that the Dems suggested that pursuing Clinton might prove to be a distraction to a fresh start.

[Torie]

Kristol again, eh. All roads lead to Kristol. Otherwise, I agree with you. This simply isn't the way things work.

[maica]

Neither do I. President Bush had his own plans for his administration and they did not include starting out "Clinton-bashing." He has ignored Clinton in the same way he did not acknowledge Arafat for many months.
He does not even say the word Clinton.