Counsel approached Justice aide for advice to get Clinton to plead

Washington Times ^ | 7/28/02 | Frank J. Murray

[kattracks]

Former independent counsel Robert Ray has acknowledged asking President Clinton's own Justice Department for guidance at a critical juncture of his investigation in the hope of nudging Mr. Clinton into a plea bargain deal while still president.

Mr. Ray, interviewed this week by The Washington Times, conceded the previously undisclosed strategy might raise questions about his own independence. But he defended it as a proper and necessary way to force an admission of guilt from Mr. Clinton while he still occupied the Oval Office.

[piasa]

fyi

[piasa]

fyi

[Mo1]

Interesting

[stands2reason]

bump

[Auntie Mame]

"[Deputy Attorney General] Eric Holder picked up the phone and informed the White House," Mr. Ray told The Washington Times, an assertion that Mr. Holder contradicted in a separate interview.

Why does this not surprise me? Actually, Mr. Holder is probably telling the truth. He didn't "pick up the phone," he punched the button for the speakerphone, or he walked over to the White House and told them in person..

[petuniasevan]

advice to get Clinton to plead

Well, Lefty says if you take a piece of extension cord and wrap it around the family jewels and twist a bit -
- OH! You mean plead IN A COURT OF LAW! Never mind!

[DoughtyOne]

•On Oct. 16, 2000, three weeks before the presidential election, that the law creating the office of independent counsel did not nullify the constitutional barriers to indicting a president still in office and that a sitting president, therefore, could not be indicted.

This is so much bulls--t!  The President pulls out a gun and shoots his wife.  Are you going to tell me that he wouldn't be indicted?  There isn't a prayer in hell that he wouldn't be.  And therefore if he can be indicted for anything, he can be indicted for all things.

Good Lord, is there a human being inside Washington, D.C. besides NickDanger, ReaganGirl and Skeet, that isn't brain dead?

Robert Ray sounds like some five year old kid that doesn't want to eat his peas, so he comes up with some hair-brained excuse that isn't going to sit well with mom.

Grow up Robert.  We're sick and tired of excuses!

[jimtorr]

""The President pulls out a gun and shoots his wife. Are you going to tell me that he wouldn't be indicted? ""

Well, yes, that is correct. A sitting President is immune from any legal prosecution.

I would hope that in a case of murder that congress would remove him from office in very short order, but with Clinton I don't know even then.

[Free the USA]

Index Bump

[DoughtyOne]

Sorry Jim, but that's just a legal opinion in my book. It's about as credible as Clinton's excuses were. You and I both know a sitting President would be arrested for murder just like anyone else.

[SevenDaysInMay]

A simple indictment would have worked just fine, but that would not have smacked of corruption.

[Lucky]

With a little spin, the elite can get away with anything. The rule of law need not apply. Nice to see you blasting away at them again. Now get back to work so they can use your hard earned money for education and grants for home ownership downpayments for the poor. ha

[jigsaw]

The President pulls out a gun and shoots his wife.  Are you going to tell me that he wouldn't be indicted? 

In Clinton's case there would have been a national celebration.

[DoughtyOne]

I think people get mixed up when thinking of the separation of powers.  It is true that there is only one method available for removing a President, but that does not preclude one from being criminally prosecuted.  I might entertain the arguement that a penalty as a result of a conviction might have to be postponed until the President left office, but he could be prosecuted and convicted.  A mere prosecution and conviction does not remove him from office.  However the enforcement of a penalty could prevent him from fulfilling his Presidential duties.  This the court would not have the ability to enforce, IMO.  Only Congress could remove him from office, then he could serve a term.  Or he could serve the prison term at the end of his term of office.

During the Clinton administration there was a lot of talk about criminal prosecution of the President.  Very few pundits or legal weasles stated that he could not be prosecuted while in office.  In reality, until a prosecutor indicts a sitting President and the Supreme Court issues a ruling on the issue, the arguement is up in the air.

I would submit that if a sitting President can be ordered by the courts to submit to a legal deposition, then he can be ordered to stand trial.  Either the courts have no ability to demand the President submit to anything, or they do have the ability to demand he submit as any citizen would.  Clearly they have exhibited the ability to demand a President submit to their authority.  So I submit the courts can and would allow an indictment if the situation warranted.

Robert Ray should have brought charges.  Then the courts could have sorted the issue out.  Asking the Justice Department under Janet Reno's leadership to make a ruling on that issue was incredibly stupid.

[DoughtyOne]

LOL.  Here, check this out.

Click on it.

[jigsaw]

LOL! A rupturing hemorrhoid!

Disgusting, but clever!

[palo verde]

I am disappointed in Robert Ray
when he took the job, he expected to be put thru everything Ken Starr was put thru
to keep his courage he said ''my dad told me what he went thru in Vietnam, whatever they do to me can't be as bad as that''
he said ''the principle no man is above the Law (not even the President) is worth it''

this is from his interview with NY Times when he was hired for the job
by end of job, he turned corrupt
Love, Palo

[elfman2]

We had only one real chance to apply justice - at the impeachment trial. But the Senate Republicans (and all of us who elected them) were too dirty, and Clinton and company were prepared to take them and us down if we proceeded.

A court system, special prosecutor, or justice department were never strong enough to prosecute a popular head of state without the support of the people. This result is expected. Collectively, we're a great nation, but we're not good enough and courageous enough to do this.

[Carry_Okie]

"The President (Beelzebubba) pulls out a gun and shoots his wife (The HildaBeast). Are you going to tell me that he wouldn't be indicted? "

Fantacizing?