Clinton Inquiry Pushed
White House seeks broader look into vandalism rap
By TIMOTHY J. BURGER
Daily News Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- President Bush and his aides have quietly pushed to expand the year-long probe into alleged vandalism by departing Clinton staffers, the Daily News has learned.
The administration's eagerness to cooperate and encourage the General Accounting Office investigation contrasts sharply with statements in which Bush and his spokesman had publicly downplayed the vandalism tempest.
General Accounting Office chief David Walker says Bush aides want his office to 'do more than is even humanly possible' in vandalism probe.
GAO chief David Walker said Bush aides "want us to do more work than is even reasonable" in the vandalism probe.
Bernie Ungar, a GAO director in charge of the investigation, said, "White House folks suggested that we cast as wide a net as possible."
Ungar said Bush aides urged the agency to expand its scope to include the White House's East Wing — where Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) had her offices as First Lady — but investigators stuck to the West Wing and the Eisenhower office building.
100 Aides Interviewed
The White House has granted every information and interview request — including 100 Bush aides, all the way up to chief of staff Andrew Card.
Card was interviewed for an "ample amount of time" in November, Ungar said.
Walker said he hopes to wrap up the 13-month investigation by spring.
Clinton staffers were accused of sabotaging everything from phones and computers to doorknobs and closets.
A year ago, Bush and his aides made public statements suggesting they were not interested in pushing the probe.
"There might have been a prank or two, maybe somebody put a cartoon on the wall, but that's okay," Bush said. "It's time now to move forward."
'A Double Standard'
At the time, Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer said, "I think that whatever took place is past. ... As far as we're concerned, it's over."
The cooperation in the vandalism probe also contrasts sharply with the steadfast White House resistance to a GAO demand for records from Vice President Cheney's energy policy task force, critics said. They include details of a meeting between Cheney and disgraced ex-Enron chief Kenneth Lay and at least five other task force meetings with company officials.
"It's clearly a double standard," said Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), who asked the GAO last year to obtain the Cheney records.
But White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan said, "They are completely different matters. The matter related to the vice president's meetings is totally outside the bounds of the GAO's authority."
"The vandalism matter relates to the treatment of government property and it's clearly within the scope and authority of the GAO," she said.
Asked about the difference in cooperation between the energy task force and vandalism inquiries, Walker told The News, "It's facts and circumstances as to how much they want to cooperate."
While cautious GSA staffers won't issue a blanket exoneration of the Clinton team, Bernard Ungar, the agency's director of physical infrastructure, told Salon the media clearly exaggerated the extent of the damage. According to the terse GSA statement that formed the basis of Ungar's conclusion, "the condition of the real property was consistent with what we would expect to encounter when tenants vacate office space after an extended occupancy.
From today's article:
Bernie Ungar, a GAO director in charge of the investigation, said, "White House folks suggested that we cast as wide a net as possible."
Ungar said Bush aides urged the agency to expand its scope to include the White House's East Wing — where Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) had her offices as First Lady — but investigators stuck to the West Wing and the Eisenhower office building.
Just like you're trying to do with Enron, so no problem. Right, Bernie?
The cooperation in the vandalism probe also contrasts sharply with the steadfast White House resistance to a GAO demand for records from Vice President Cheney's energy policy task force, critics said. They include details of a meeting between Cheney and disgraced ex-Enron chief Kenneth Lay and at least five other task force meetings with company officials.
"It's clearly a double standard," said Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), who asked the GAO last year to obtain the Cheney records.
Right, Nostrils, very clearly a double standard. On the one hand the GAO leaks bitches about having to "work too hard" in investigating malicious vandalism associated with a Presidential transition (in an attempt to undermine said investigation?). On the other hand they are working overtime, and beyond their authority, to undermine the President's comprehensive and forward looking energy policy by attempting, in blatant violation of the Constitution's seperation of powers, and without the merest hint of wrong doing by Cheney or anyone in the administration, to expose the process of policy formation to gratuitous and hostile scrutiny. At the same time the party that essentially controls the GAO refuses to respond to said energy policy substantively, propose and alternative, or put it to a vote in the Senate.
Definitely an ugly and devious double standard.
This is unreported news. This has been an ongoing investigation, not something newly sprung out of a hat.
It's clear to me that the GAO is a corrupt arm of the Clintonoids as is just about every other part of the government.
Someone needs to tell Snopes to update his website to reflect the latest stance: Outgoing Democratic staff members vandalized the White House. Status: Uh, maybe?
The last update was in June of 2001 and rebuffed the claims of damage.
I do not turn to Snopes for my BS detection but I know that a number of FReepers do use this site as a reference for validation of rumors.
I detect too much bias in the rumors that Snopes chooses to list or not include and more importantly in the way that they are framed (the framing statement is his basis for "TRUE" or "NOT TRUE"). I would think that at least of few of his readers simply read the headline of at least a few of the rumors (face it, who has read every snopes article) and at least some of those readers will go out into the world with the thought, no that was just a NET rumor.
Some recent examples:
A new can design introduced by Dr Pepper includes the text of the Pledge of Allegiance with the words "under God" omitted. Status: Not quite. sorry to say but it is true. His explanation states that the original version of the Pledge did not include the words "under God". Fair enough but to put "one nation... indivisible" indicates that yes, words were removed.
Seventh graders in California are subjected to an intense three-week course in Islam in which they are required to pray to Allah and memorize Koran verses. Status: Not quite. There is no rebuttal to the claim of memorization of Koran verses (just a statement that the school has not addressed the question). Determination of "prayer" can be a vague thing as the students were required to have their own "jihad" (this has to be the non-violent kind, certainly). As the peaceful muslims claim this to be a devotion to Allah, it would have to be catagorized as a prayerful act.
I don't mean to stray too far from the thread but just wanted to raise this for anyone who found value in snopes website.