Posted on 07/09/2002 8:27:44 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
Tuesday July 9, 2002; 10:35 a.m. EDT
Ford: Probe Bush Harken Deal, Not Hillary Cattle Scam
Rising Democratic Party political star Rep. Harold Ford said Tuesday that the Securities and Exchange Commission should consider reopening its insider trading probe into President Bush's 1990 sale of Harken Energy stock.
But when asked about allegations that New York Sen. Hillary Clinton had engaged in insider trading in 1980 to reap her $100,000 cattle futures windfall, Ford responded, "That was a good deal, wasn't it."
During an interview with nationally syndicated radio host Don Imus, Ford complained, "When Bill Clinton was in office the Whitewater issue was investigated with $50 million of public money and the president was found to do nothing wrong - at least (he) was not convicted of anything."
But, said the Tennessee congressman, with Bush, "the situation is a little different. I mean, the SEC I think would have to make that decision" to reinvestigate the Harken sale.
Ford said he would have opposed a new Harken probe up until yesterday. But he became concerned when he heard Bush defend his stock sale at a Monday press conference by saying, "All I can tell you is that in the corporate world sometimes things aren't exactly black and white when it comes to accounting procedures."
Ford told Imus, "For the president to suggest that it's not black and white when it comes to accounting..... I think he's raised some other questions this morning with his comments. For him to have said that raises some concern on my part and it might require him to answer further questions."
The Tennessee Democrat complained that Bush's words sounded "awfully similar to what some of the Enron executives said as they came before the committee. It sounds almost Jeffrey Skilling-like."
"So, as a result, I think the president may have to answer a few more questions than obviously he wants to," Ford added.
The Tennessee Democrat described Mrs. Clinton's cattle futures windfall as "a good deal" after Imus compared the episode to the Bush Harken imbroglio.
Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
Bush Administration
Clinton Scandals
DNC
Sen. Hillary Clinton
Ford has obviously NEVER run a business or worked as an accountant. /sarcasm
I rather doubt that he has ever had a real job, either.
Let me be first to volunteer for the task. He makes me SICK.
So what has Bush done wrong? Failed to file a trade form with SEC in a timely manner. I heard the stock doubled in price after President Bush sold the stock. Doesn't sound like he sold the stock to avoid losing its value. And this disingenuous "rising star" doesn't see that? Oh Please... The SEC did an investigation and found no wrong doing. Am I missing anything unethical or against the law Bush did?
Does this s!!!t ever stop? I can only fathom why these sycophants try to keep this BS up. The old word association game; say it enough times and the ignorant may start to believe it.
LBJ: "I know he didn't do anything wrong, I just like hearing him deny it." Said something like that...
The situation that LBJ would have his opponent deny was having... relations... with one of his farm animals back when he was running for Congress.
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It was a sweet moment, and I thought Imus was really on his toes with Gregory. He spanked him nicely, making him look like the liberal flunky he is.
Gregory's just sucking up to the A-List Cocktail Party crowd like all his fellow elitist reporters. His network, NBC, did the absolute worst job reporting on a presidential news conference I've seen in a long time. No matter.
The Harkin story is over. It got a week, most of it on a long holiday and now Bush has upstaged all of them. First, he upstaged Daschle and Dip Geckhardt, then he pulled the rug out from under Daschle by making these securities changes by Executive Order - neatly circumventing the obstructionist Senate. Bush has the high ground and the last word. Can't handle it any better than that.
And the networks are furious.
Michael
There is something very dishonest when you rip a comment out of context and try to build up on it. By time Bush said the "not black and white" comment, he had answered the same question about 20 times. And just because you ask the same question another way doesn't make it different. Donald Rumsfield is very good at calling reporters on that trick.
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