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Government Uncovered Access to information is vital to Judicial Watch's campaign to eliminate corruption from our government and our legal systems. One of the most important tools to acquire information, especially when those in power do not want to relinquish it, is the Freedom of Information Act. Following is an analysis of recent documents obtained by Judicial Watch through the Freedom of Information Act, along with how they relate to Judicial Watch's investigation of Bill Clinton's questionable pardons. Background: In August 1999, Bill Clinton pardoned 16 members of a Puerto Rican terrorist group known as FALN. In the 1970s and 1980s, FALN terrorists had planned and executed more than 130 bombing attacks on New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. No one had made the request for clemency, which raised suspicions that Clinton's decision was purely political - an attempt to win Hispanic votes for Hillary Clinton's New York Senate bid. Whether or not the decision was politically based, it was most certainly dangerous. According to multiple press reports, at the time, the FBI's assistant director for national security, Neil Gallagher, said that the people turned loose by Clinton "are criminals, and they are terrorists, and they represent a threat to the United States." Closely associated with FALN is another organization established to wreak havoc in the United States. The MLN was established in 1977 to support FALN, establish independence for Puerto Rico, and liberate the southwestern United States to Mexico. Documents obtained by Judicial Watch prove that FALN/MLN has a strong foothold in at least six U.S. cities, proving that Clinton's pardon was in violation of the national security interests of the United States. Key Excerpts: "The MLN was founded in Puerto Rico in early 1977. However, it was from the onset designed to function in the continental U.S. and not on the island. Initially geared to promulgate Puerto Rican independence and support the FALN, the group has over the years expanded its mission to include promotion of various national liberation struggles, especially the one advocated by certain Mexican-Chicanos who wish to see part of the southwestern U.S. liberated from U.S. control." The following have been identified as chapter headquarters of the MLN: "MLN Chicago, MLN Philadelphia, MLN New York, MLN Hartford, MLN Boston, MLN San Francisco/Berkeley." "MLN San Francisco/Berkeley [Redacted Name] continues to visit the Puerto Rican prisoners and may be considered the contact point in San Francisco for others who are sympathetic to the FALN/MLN ideals." Relevance: Judicial Watch continues to probe the Pardongate scandal because evidence suggests Bill Clinton traded pardons for political favors. In the case of the FALN pardons, clearly the terrorists posed a serious threat to the national security of the United States. The well-documented goal of the FALN and MLN is to act as subversive agents within the borders of the United States. At the very least, Clinton's decision to grant clemency to these dangerous and deadly individuals was an outrageous lapse in judgment. At worst, the pardons were carefully calculated to win votes for Hillary Clinton at the expense of the safety of American citizens. Judicial Watch will continue to investigate these pardons, and the other questionable pardons for criminals like Marc Rich that occurred two years later in the waning hours of the Clinton presidency.
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