September 21, 2007

From the Desk of Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton:

Clinton’s “New” Fundraising Team Includes Some Old Scandal-Ridden Friends

 

The campaign fundraising scandal involving apparel executive and admitted felon Norman Hsu and Hillary Clinton has the press probing the backgrounds of some of the bigger presidential campaign contributors.  And the news just keeps getting worse for Democratic front-runner.

 

According to an article in the Thursday edition of The Washington Post:  “A list of the donors who have ‘bundled’ large sums from dozens of individuals to give to Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign includes several figures who were involved in the 1990s Democratic Party fundraising scandal that tarnished her husband's record.”

 

Among the bundlers:

 

Marvin Rosen:  “The former Democratic National Committee finance chairman whose efforts to reward six-figure party donors with attendance at White House coffees and overnight stays in the Lincoln Bedroom became the focal point of Senate hearings into fundraising abuses.” 

 

William Stuart Price:  “The Oklahoma oilman, also on the ‘Hillraiser’ list, stunned a courtroom in 1995 when he detailed how his former gas company had tried to ‘gain influence with the Clinton administration by providing $160,000 in money and membership in a ritzy Washington golf club to the son of a Cabinet secretary.”

 

Robert G. Torricelli:  The former Democratic New Jersey Senator, “who withdrew from a 2002 reelection campaign after being ‘severely admonished’ by the Senate for taking lavish gifts from a businessman and contributor, David Chang.”

 

These are all charitable descriptions.  Marvin Rosen brought all sorts of mobsters, Chinese agents of influence, and other nefarious types into the White House to raise money from them.  His former law firm was fined for soliciting foreign contributions (Rosen is alleged to have done the soliciting).  Price was involved in a Chinagate-related scheme that involved the late Ron Brown, Hillary, and Mack McLarty (Bill Clinton’s former chief of staff).  And Torricelli escaped a criminal indictment the Chang scandal by the skin of his teeth.  Quick Google searches on any of these characters will produce hours of reading about the lawless outrages of the first Clinton era.

 

Now Hillary isn’t the only candidate connected to scandal-ridden donors.  (The article touches briefly upon the Romney and Edwards campaigns as well.)  But the fact is none of the other presidential candidates have Hillary Clinton’s sordid history of campaign finance schemes, scandals and violations.  If Hillary is under more scrutiny than the rest, she has only herself to blame.

 

With respect to Hsu, the man who touched off all of this press scrutiny, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New York charged the Democratic fundraiser with campaign finance crimes and creating a $60 million "Ponzi" scheme on Thursday.  (Check out the official Department of Justice press release here.)  Interestingly, the criminal complaint makes no mention of Hillary, the beneficiary of his scams.  I hope this means the US Attorney there in the Southern District of New York (Michael Garcia) isn’t afraid to investigate everyone in this scandal, including Hillary.  It wouldn’t be first time federal prosecutors flinched when confronting Clinton corruption.  More to come…

 

Harry Reid Attacks Judicial Watch for Pursuing Corruption Investigation

 

In 2006, Judicial Watch named Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) as one of the “ten most corrupt” politicians in America, for failing to properly report to Congress a $700,000 land deal, among other things.  So, perhaps this latest real-estate scandal involving Reid should come as no surprise…

 

On September 5, Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management as part of its investigation of Reid and his role in a massive real estate development project in Coyote Springs, Nevada.  At the heart of Judicial Watch’s investigation is whether or not Senator Reid improperly used his influence on Capitol Hill to pave the way for the development project in exchange for campaign contributions and other favors from lobbyist and long-time friend, Harvey Whittemore.

 

Here’s the bottom line, according to The Los Angeles Times:  “Over the last four years, Reid has used his influence in Washington to help the developer, Nevada super-lobbyist Whittemore, clear obstacles from Coyote Springs' path…As the project advanced, Reid received tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Whittemore.”  (I’d include the link, but The Los Angeles Times has removed the article without explanation.)

 

Whittemore also hired one of Reid’s sons (Leif) as his personal lawyer and then promptly handed the junior Reid the responsibility of negotiating the real estate deal with federal officials.  Leif Reid even called his father’s office at one point to talk about how to obtain the proper EPA permits!  (Could there be a more clear case of a conflict of interest?)

 

Sadly, Reid’s response to Judicial Watch’s lawsuit was a cheap knock-off of Hillary’s “vast right wing conspiracy” nonsense…"This is clearly a politically motivated move by a right-wing group attempting to get headlines," Jon Summers, a spokesman for Reid, said in his press statement.   Reid’s flack even tried to tie our investigation to Reid’s attack on Ted Olson, a conservative lawyer who was a possible Attorney General nominee.  (This is silly and false for many reasons, not least of which we began our investigation over six months ago, long before the Olson controversy.)

 

Reid also conveniently ignores the fact that The Los Angeles Times, not exactly a right-wing rag, broke the story before Judicial Watch initiated its investigation.  Senator Reid’s attack on our motives is designed to distract attention away from the underlying questions about his links to the controversial real estate deal.  We must have hit a nerve.

 

Judicial Watch filed its FOIA request back in March.  Six months later, we still had not received any response, prompting the lawsuit.  Democrats and Republicans are targets of our investigation.  We are seeking all “contacts and communications” related to the Coyote Springs deal between the Bureau of Land Management and Senator Reid (D-NV), Senator John Ensign (R-NV) and then Rep. Jim Gibbons (R-NV), who now serves as Governor of Nevada.  Ensign and Gibbons both supported the Coyote Springs project at key stages, and also received campaign contributions from Whittemore. 

 

I’ll be sure to keep you posted as the lawsuit moves forward.

 

Judicial Watch Launches Investigation into Seattle Day Labor Facilities, Warns Officials

 

Judicial Watch recently launched a brand new investigation of day labor facilities in Seattle, Washington.  Our goal?  The same as it was in Herndon, Virginia.  Either force local officials to bring the day labor site into compliance with federal immigration laws or shut it down for good.  (If you missed last week’s installment of the Update, Friday, September 14 was the last date of operation for the Herndon day labor site, a tremendous victory for Judicial Watch, its supporters and the citizens of Herndon.)

 

On September 13, the day before the Herndon site closed, I sent warning letters to Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and the Seattle City Council about the legal problems associated using public funds to operate day labor sites for illegal aliens.  Here’s an excerpt from my letter to Mayor Nickels, which you can read in its entirety by clicking here:

 

“For the City to use taxpayer resources in this manner is akin to a city operating its own ‘red light’ district or illegal drug market to enable persons who participate in such activities to have a safe, orderly, well-regulated environment in which to engage in their illicit transactions…Kindly confirm that you will cease immediately expending citizen taxpayer dollars and resources for day labor sites and non-profit organizations that promote criminal activity in violation of federal immigration law.”

 

(Incidentally, this letter is very similar to one I sent to Herndon officials in August 2005, just before we filed our lawsuit.)

 

The day labor sites in question are operated by Casa Latina, a self-described “group of community activists… dedicated to empowering Latino immigrants.” 

 

According to CASA Latina marketing materials, 24% of its $731,117 operating budget consist of taxpayer funds.  On February 12, 2007, the Seattle City Council unanimously passed City Ordinance 122339 expending approximately $250,000 for the purchase of property in a residential area that CASA Latina and politicians plan to use as a day labor headquarters for Seattle.  Additional research by Judicial Watch staff indicates that over $1 million dollars in taxpayer money from King County and the State of Washington have been committed to subsidizing illegal aliens in Seattle.

 

If you’ve been following Judicial Watch’s illegal immigration work, by now you know it is a flagrant violation of federal immigration law to (1) employ an illegal alien (2) hire someone without complying with federal employment verification requirements (3) encourage or induce an illegal to cross the border, or (3) aid and/or abet in the commission of this act.

 

You also know that the vast majority of day laborers (75% according to one study) are illegal.  Casa Latina does not screen its applicants for employment eligibility.  Therefore, the site is clearly in violation of the law.

 

Indications are Seattle officials will continue to flout the law.  But let’s hope officials from Seattle will heed my warning and the lesson learned in Herndon and take action to comply with the law.  We continue to investigate the issue in Seattle as we consider all of our legal options.  We have a court trial scheduled for October 1 over a day labor site in Laguna Beach, California, so we (and the citizens our lawyers represent) take the law seriously.  And so should the politicians in Seattle.   Stay tuned…

 

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.