Posted on 04/28/2002 2:42:33 PM PDT by kattracks
The U.S. Justice Department is taking a close look at Hillary Clinton's dealings with a federal fugitive who claims the former first lady broke the law by failing to report hundreds of thousands of dollars he raised for her 2000 senate race.
In a blockbuster exclusive report, the New York Post revealed Sunday that top Justice Department officials have flown to Brazil twice to interview fugitive Peter F. Paul about his financial dealings with Bill and Hillary Clinton and it’s been reported that the Feds are confirming much of what Paul has told them. The Post's Al Guart reported that documents obtained by The Post revealed that Justice officials flew to Sao Paulo for two days last August, and came back for another two day stay last October.
They were there to grill Paul, now in prison and fighting extradition to the United States to answer charges concerning a failed business venture with Stan Lee, the creator of the Spider-Man comic-book character. According to Post sources, the Justice Department has offered Paul a deal in which he would plead guilty to outstanding federal charges in New York and California and become a "cooperating witness" into Clinton fund-raising and "other matters."
Paul, 52, charged that Hillary Clinton's campaign for Senate in 2000 reported only about $500,000 of the $1.9 million he laid out for a lavish, star-studded fund-raiser in Hollywood on Aug. 12, 2000 on federal election records reports.
Last year Post columnist Robert Novak reported that Paul has told investigators he covered the $1.9 million cost of the Hollywood fund-raiser as part of a plan to get Bill Clinton to raise the profile of Stan Lee Media, which at the time owned the Spider-Man rights and wanted to use the character in a worldwide marketing scheme.
When that plan fell through, Paul approached a Democratic National Committee official about the possibility of a presidential pardon for his past crimes from then-President Clinton, Post sources said. He was not pardoned.
Paul, got handwritten thank-you letters of both Bill and Hillary. He later sued to recover his alleged outlays for the Hollywood event but the suit was dismissed last year because he was a fugitive. However, the Post says it could be re-filed if he returns to the United States.
Paul's lawyer, the Judicial Watch’s Larry Klayman told the Post that "Mrs. Clinton should be significantly worried about this, especially since the Justice Department said everything Peter told them is checking out."
The Hollywood event was titled the "Bill Clinton Farewell Tribute" but it was in fact a fund-raiser for Hilary and featured performances by Cher, Diana Ross and Melissa Etheridge. It took in $1.5 million for Hillary's Senate bid, Paul's lawsuit alleged.
Robin Johansen, a lawyer for the Clintons, called Paul's claims "ludicrous," and Justice Department spokeswoman Jill Stillman declined comment on the case.
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