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| For Immediate Release | |
| Nov 30, 1998 | Contact: Press Office 202-646-5172 |
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Is Stephanopoulos Fearful of Implication In Possible Ickes Investigation? Judicial Watch Chairman and General Counsel Larry Klayman today stated that the public interest law firm was ready to move ahead with its investigation of the Clinton campaign fund-raising scandal whether or not Attorney General Janet Reno takes any action on the case. Last week, Reno announced she would not call for an independent counsel investigation of Vice President Al Gore's alleged fund-raising violations. Today is the deadline for Reno's decision on calling for an independent counsel investigation of former White House Deputy Chief Staff Harold Ickes over his role in the scandal. "Judicial Watch will continue with its investigation of 'Chinagate' and related campaign finance scandals regardless of what the Attorney General decides," Klayman said. "It is clear that her impartiality on this issue has been severely compromised. Even if she does appoint an independent counsel to investigate Harold Ickes, the scope of any resulting investigation is likely to be so narrow as to be totally worthless." Last week, Judicial Watch filed a new 'Chinagate' lawsuit, aimed at uncovering the details of alleged influence peddling in exchange for the transfer of technology to the Chinese. The suit names as defendants Loral Space and Communications President Bernard Schwartz, President Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Clinton-Gore fund-raiser and former Commerce Department official John Huang, and a number of others. The suit also alleges that all the involved parties have violated the Racketeering Influenced and Corruption Organizations (RICO) Act. "It is interesting to note that yesterday on ABC's "This Week," Ickes' former White House colleague George Stephanopoulos labeled the potential case against Ickes as 'weak,'" Klayman added. "It could be that Stephanopoulos is concerned that he will be implicated in an investigation of Ickes. "Incidentally, Stephanopoulos has reportedly just closed a deal to publish a book about his time with the Clinton Administration," Klayman said. "In light of the fact that he was sanctioned by the judge for lying in Judicial Watch's 'Filegate' suit, I would advise readers to be skeptical of whatever he writes." |
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