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| For Immediate Release | |
| Nov 17, 1997 | Contact: Press Office 202-646-5172 |
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BRIBERY SCANDAL IN BRITAIN PARALLELS CLINTON'S Recently, it was reported that British Prime Minister Tony Blair 's government has been enmeshed in a scandal thus far the fraction of the size of the campaign finance controversy swirling around the Clinton Administration. Specifically, Mr. Blair and his left leaning Labour Party are accused of having accepted a $1.65 campaign contribution from Formula One magnate Bernie Ecclestone, in exchange for the government's dropping the ban on tobacco advertising at Formula One events. See page A-20 of The Washington Post, November 17, 1997. Ironically, during his successful campaign to become Prime Minister, Mr. Blair patterned his politics and his personal style after his mentor, Bill Clinton, and even used some of the same political advisers, including but not limited to George Stephanopoulos. Today, Larry Klayman, Chairman and General Counsel of Judicial Watch, the public interest group which uncovered John Huang and the Clinton campaign finance scandal, issued this statement: "There is an irony in the reports that Tony Blair, Bill Clinton's ideological soulmate, has apparently succumbed to the same public corruption that has engulfed the American government. However, in Great Britain, the Prime Minister is required to answer questions before the House of Commons, yet in the United States Congress refuses to call Bill Clinton to account for his alleged wrongdoing. One must ask whether the American system of government, of which we are all proud, has abandoned the premise upon which it was established; namely that all men are equal and must account for their wrongdoing. Ironically, our mother country has not lost sight of this, but America seems to have lost its way. It is time for Congress to stop playing games with our democracy and call Bill Clinton and Al Gore to account in public for the allegations of bribery and corruption in this country. If Great Britain can do it, so too can our elected representatives, who must stop hiding behind non-existent excuses to cover-up the corruption in both political parties.," concluded Klayman. |
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