http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=21864
CASH FOR CLEMENCY
Lott not soft on pardon probe?
Office denies reports he's trying to kill congressional investigation
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By Jon Dougherty
© 2001 WorldNetDaily.com
Aides to Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., say their boss is not
engaged in an attempt to kill a Senate or a joint House and Senate
investigation into a number of controversial last-minute pardons granted by
former President Bill Clinton before he left office.
The denial was prompted by a New York Post report published Tuesday that
said Lott was "unenthusiastic" about pursuing an investigation in the
Senate.
"Yesterday's Pardongate developments came amid signs that Senate Majority
Leader Trent Lott -- who praised President Bush for ignoring the pardon
issue -- is unenthusiastic about the probe," the Post said.
"And Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., who was leading a separate pardon probe,
appears to have temporarily shelved his investigation," said the paper,
noting: "Several lawmakers added that the plan to merge the House and Senate
pardon probes also is dead."
But an aide in Lott's office told WorldNetDaily late yesterday that the
Senate majority leader has not ended his support for the probe.
"If you go back and review [statements] he has made over the past several
days, where he has talked about that, you'll see … he's been fairly vocal
about it when asked," the aide said, requesting anonymity.
When asked if Lott's office was unequivocally denying the report, the aide
said, "I won't comment on that. I'll let his earlier statements speak for
themselves."
Critics are worried that Lott may be attempting to kill the Pardongate
inquiries in the same way they believe he killed any effort in the Senate to
seriously try Clinton during his impeachment in 1998.
Also, they see a pattern developing whereby the White House and prominent
Republicans in Congress are content to let previous Clinton scandals escape
scrutiny and alleged lawbreakers escape justice.
"Sen. Lott's actions obviously follow President George W. Bush's remarks
that the Pardongate scandal should not be looked into and that instead,
'It's time to move on,'" said Judicial Watch Chairman and General Counsel
Larry Klayman, in a statement.
"Sen. Lott … should be ashamed," Klayman added, saying his organization was
planning an investigation of Lott's "fund-raising activities at the
University of Mississippi."
On Tuesday, Lott -- during a press conference on Capitol Hill -- was asked
about whether he was worried about fallout for Republicans.
"The principal responsibility for looking to see if some laws were violated
with regard to the pardons rests in the hands of the lady that is a U.S.
attorney in New York," Lott said, referring to Mary Jo White's announcement
earlier this month that the Manhattan U.S. attorney's office would
investigate the pardons.
"I have said all along that I thought that the Congress had a responsibility
to carry out … to look into what happened and what did go on here and see if
there is some action that we should take or can take," he said. "It's very
different from some of the hearings … in the past. You try to find out all
you can and see if some remedial action is necessary, and you move on to let
the U.S. attorney do her job."
At issue are the dozens of pardons Clinton granted in the final hours of his
presidency on Jan. 20 that did not receive Justice Department review.
Included in those was a pardon for fugitive billionaire Marc Rich, which
congressional investigators believe may have been granted because of
donations in excess of $1 million given by Rich's ex-wife Denise to
Democrats and Clinton's library fund.
Marc Rich fled to Switzerland in 1983 to avoid prosecution as a tax cheat
and charges he illegally traded with Iran during the hostage crisis.
WorldNetDaily Lott not soft on pardon probe.url
