January 26, 2007

From the Desk of Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton:

Clinton Corruption – Everything that goes around…

 

It’s official.  This week, Hillary Clinton threw her hat into the ring of contenders for the Democratic nomination for president in 2008.  Now, the American people will take a long, hard look at Hillary’s record as they weigh her candidacy.  And any discussion of Hillary Clinton’s record begins and ends with her alleged crimes and ethical transgressions. 

 

Judicial Watch, of course, has been pursuing both Hillary and Bill Clinton since its inception, launching numerous investigations and lawsuits.  In fact, according to Time magazine’s Margaret Carlson, “Thanks in no small part to Judicial Watch, Hillary Clinton may be the most investigated person in the history of the Republic.”  (I’ll take that as a compliment.)  This effort continues today with our investigation of the records at the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas.  But here is just a partial summary of Clinton scandals that are relevant to Hillary’s candidacy, as so many questions remain unanswered:

 

Bribery and Extortion:  According to sworn testimony in federal court, Hillary Clinton devised a scheme to sell public, taxpayer-financed trade missions in exchange for campaign contributions to the Democratic Party and the 1996 Clinton reelection effort.     

 

Filegate:  In the early 1990’s, the Clinton White House violated the privacy rights of their perceived political enemies by “stealing” over 900 FBI files of the Reagan and first Bush administration staffers and using the information to destroy their credibility.  Judicial Watch’s sued Hillary Clinton in federal court over this scheme, as she evidently was its mastermind. 

 

Pardongate:  In the last days of his presidency, former President Clinton granted 140 pardons and commuted 36 sentences.  The pardons were for individuals who had paid large fees to Clinton associates.  Hugh Rodham, brother of Hillary Rodham Clinton, accepted $400,000 after successfully lobbying his brother-in-law for clemency for two felons.  Anthony Rodham, Hillary’s other brother, has also been accused of illicitly brokering another pardon deal. 

 

Campaign Finance Scandal:  Hillary Clinton’s campaign failed to properly disclose more than $2 million in contributions to her New York Senate 2000 campaign.  Hillary’s National Finance Director, David Rosen, was indicted for his role in the scandal (though later acquitted after the Bush administration watered down his prosecution by keeping Hillary Clinton out his criminal trial).  And in response to a complaint filed by Judicial Watch, the Federal Election Commission fined Senator Hillary Clinton’s fundraising operation $35,000 for failing to accurately report the contributions. 

 

Clinton Sex Scandal and Character Assassination:  Hillary Clinton personally orchestrated media campaigns to slander the women who had allegedly been sexually and otherwise abused by her husband.  One such woman, Gennifer Flowers, was subjected to a vicious smear campaign orchestrated by Hillary Clinton and carried out by former Clinton administration aides James Carville and George Stephanopoulos. 

 

I could go on and on.  Cattle futures, perjury on the Travel Office firings, hiring private investigators, selling policy to communist Chinese generals and their agents, Whitewater, Vince Foster, and all the rest.  Hillary has been angling for the presidency since her corrupt husband took the oath, and certainly before then.  Their crimes have all been means to keep and obtain power.  So we can expect more of the same in a Hillary candidacy.    

 

Judicial Watch does not endorse nor oppose candidates for public office.  Hillary is free to run for president.  But Judicial Watch is also free to continue to pursue accountability for her many crimes and ethical transgressions, past and present.  Hillary Clinton is the most powerful corrupt politician in the country and much attention should be paid to this corruption, whether or not she is running for office.  If you would like more information on our efforts in this regard, be sure to check out the Hillary Watch section of our Internet site.  And keep reading this Update for the latest news.

 

 

Mixed Results in Congressional Ethics Reform

 

Democrats used the issue of corruption in last year’s election to seize control of both houses of Congress.  So, how are they doing so far in their efforts to clean up corruption on Capitol Hill?  The results are mixed.  Read on and you’ll see what I mean.

 

This week the House voted 431-0 to deny tax-funded pensions in the future to lawmakers convicted of felonies.  The measure will not be applied retroactively, which means former California Rep. Duke Cunningham will continue to be compensated by taxpayers long after he finishes his eight-year prison sentence for taking bribes.  (He is entitled to $36,000 per year for his eight terms in Congress.)  The same is true for Ohio Republican Bob Ney, recently sentenced to 2 ½ years for an Abramoff-related scandal.  (He’ll receive $29,000 per year after the age of 62.)

 

I’m not thrilled that congressional felons will continue to receive taxpayer-funded benefits.  However, this type of measure had been debated for a long time with no movement by Congress, so I guess it’s a start.  Why deal with the issue now?  Arizona Republican Rep. John Shadegg stated the obvious:  “…The American people are no longer willing to tolerate corrupt behavior by their elected officials.”

 

While the House of Representatives appears ready to remove privileges from their convicted criminal alumni, they have so far failed to crack down on a serious potential conflict of interest:  congressional spouses who work as lobbyists.  According to The Washington Post, at least a half-dozen congressional spouses are registered lobbyists, while a few others work for lobbying firms.  Yet there has been no movement by the House to address the obvious conflicts of interest.  In fact, as it stands, a lobbyist can lobby his or her congressional spouse directly!

 

This according to The Washington Post:  “Democrats made ethics reform a major issue in last fall’s congressional elections, but the ethics package the House approved earlier this month didn’t address the issue…” 

 

The Senate, meanwhile, recently passed a series of ethics reforms that included an amendment by Louisiana Republican David Vitter that would ban spouses of senators from lobbying the senate, with the exception of spouses who were lobbying one year prior to their spouse’s election to office.  This proposal jumped the first hurdle. However, it is unknown whether or not it will ever make it to President Bush’s desk for signature.  The bill would first have to go to conference with the House which is less keen on the idea.  Significant changes are likely.  Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) predicts the most stringent ethics proposals “…are going to be discarded once we go to conference.”

 

Stay tuned…

 

 

 

Judicial Watch Announces Educational Panel: Local Government and Illegal Immigration

 

Communities across America are wrestling with the local consequences of the illegal immigration crisis.  Drugs, violent crime, overcrowded schools and an overburdened healthcare system are just a few of the social problems caused by rampant illegal immigration.  As the federal government continues to fail in one of its most basic functions – to protect our borders – local officials are left to clean up the mess.

 

For this reason, on February 28, 2007, Judicial Watch will hold an educational panel, entitled “Local Government and Illegal Immigration.”  The panel will be held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. from 9:30 – 11:00 a.m.  It is, of course, free of charge and open to the press and the public.

 

Panel guests will include Hazelton, Pennsylvania, Mayor Louis Barletta, former Beaufort County, South Carolina Council Member, Starletta Hairston and Virginia Delegate Jackson H. Miller – all of whom bravely took on the issue of local enforcement of nation’s immigration laws. 

 

Mayor Barletta pushed through the Illegal Immigration Relief Act last summer to hold accountable landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and employers who hire them.  The ordinance also makes English the official language of Hazleton.

“Illegal immigration is a drain on city resources,” Mayor Barletta explained at the time.  “Every domestic incident, every traffic accident, every noise complaint, each time we send our police department, fire department or code enforcement officer to respond, it costs taxpayer dollars.”

 

Ms. Hairston, meanwhile, has also been a community leader in the fight against illegal immigration, spearheading action similar to that in Hazelton in Beaufort County.  And Delegate Miller has been a key leader in Northern Virginia’s battles on this issue.

 

There is a saying in political circles that “all politics is local.”  The same can now be said of the devastating impact of illegal immigration.  And if we’re going to deal with it effectively, local communities need to join the fight. 

 

I’ll be sure to remind you of the panel as we get closer to the date.  In the meantime, take a few minutes to read about Judicial Watch’s campaign to help enforce our nation’s immigration laws.

 

 

 

Judicial Watch Releases Special Report on Foley Scandal

 

This week, Judicial Watch released a special report entitled, “The Foley Scandal Fallout: Ethics in Government.”  The report includes an analysis of an educational panel held at the National Press Club and broadcast on CSPAN-2 in 2006.  Panel members included Charles Hurt of The Washington Times; Stephen Hess of The Brookings Institution; Tim Burger of Time magazine; Tom Fitton, President of Judicial Watch, and Chris Farrell, Judicial Watch Director of Investigations and Research.

 

The discussion initially focused on former Rep. Mark Foley’s salacious emails to congressional pages, but soon expanded to include a variety of topics involving corruption on Capitol Hill. 

 

Here’s a quote from the report’s introduction: “Ultimately, the issue of corruption made the difference in the mid-term elections, as Republicans lost control of the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the majority of the governorships all in one night.” 

 

You may recall that the House Ethics Committee issued a report last month which, surprise-surprise, recommended no punishment for the members of Congress who knew about Foley’s behavior and failed to act. 

 

Until next week…

 

 

 

Tom Fitton
President

Judicial Watch is a non-partisan, educational foundation organized under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue code. Judicial Watch is dedicated to fighting government and judicial corruption and promoting a return to ethics and morality in our nation's public life. To make a tax-deductible contribution in support of our efforts, click here.