-Caveat Lector- http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/20894.htm SOCIALITE SOUGHT PARDON FOR EX Wednesday,January 24,2001 By TODD VENEZIA ---------------------------------------------------------------- [PHOTO] HARD AT WORK: Fund-raiser Denise Rich, who pleaded for a pardon for her fugitive ex-husband, poses with Michael Jackson and President and Mrs. Clinton at a cancer research event in New York in November. - AP ---------------------------------------------------------------- Denise Rich now admits she wrote this letter seeking a pardon for Marc Rich.At first, she said she didn't - now she says she did. On Monday, songwriting socialite Denise Rich insisted to everyone - even her spokesman - that she was shocked at President Clinton's controversial pardon for her tax-dodging ex-husband, Marc Rich. What a difference a day makes. Yesterday - after her denials raised laughter and outrage from all quarters - the top-rated Clinton fund-raiser finally admitted she pleaded with her pal the prez on behalf of her disgraced ex, who has been hiding out in Switzerland since 1983. She even hired a new spokesman yesterday to help her fess up and release the letter she wrote. "I support his application [for a pardon] with all my heart," she wrote in her emotional Dec. 6 plea to the president. "The pain and suffering caused by [his] unjust indictment battered more that my husband - it struck his daughters and me. "Exile for seventeen years is enough." But Denise - who has raised $600,000 for the Clinton dynasty - did more than dash off letters and make phone calls to the president. Sources close to her say the White House even contacted the multimillionairess - who has visited the Clintons 100 times over the past year - to serve as a go-between between the administration and Marc's lawyers. One source said that in the days before the pardon was granted, the White House called her and said there were some problems to work out and asked her to contact her ex-husband's lawyers. It's a stunning situation that has made the A-list, jet set hostess - who is a Grammy-nominated songwriter - the star of the Clinton presidency's final scandal. Some suspect such a stain could make her "radioactive" for the foreseeable future when it comes to the city's social circuit. Her next big scheduled event is a big party for presumed Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Andrew Cuomo next week. "She's a real good person," said friend James Kaufman, a Republican who chaired President Bush's New York campaign. "But the ramifications of this are going to be huge." Billionaire trader Marc Rich, who fled to Switzerland in 1983 to avoid 51 counts of conspiracy, tax evasion and racketeering, was one of 140 people pardoned by Clinton on in his last day in office on Saturday. Supporters say Marc was let off because most of the laws he allegedly broke are no longer on the books. Critics argue the sudden leniency is more a payback for Denise and a thanks for her fund-raising efforts. Mayor Giuliani, a federal prosecutor when Rich was indicted, has called for a congressional probe into the factors behind Clinton's surprise show of mercy for his favorite fund-raiser's ex-husband. Denise's denials Monday about her involvement only fueled the controversy. Even then the denials seemed weak, considering her ties to Clinton. Not only is she a top fund-raiser, she was known to socialize with Jack Quinn, a former administration aide who reportedly bypassed the normal pardon channels and approached the White House directly with Marc's plea. It's a stunningly mucky political imbroglio for a woman who didn't go into political fund-raising because of either a love of politics or concern for her husband. Intimates say her fund-raising work had a quite different purpose. "No one's ever heard Denise ever talk about politics," said one pal. "She only threw the fund-raisers to give her legitimacy and bring her in contact with powerful people." Friends say the 50-something multimillionairess entered the world of big-time money-raising mainly to give herself a reason to show off her Fifth Avenue apartment, which is so lavish that its two stories of Epicurean opulence can make even jaded socialites' jaws drop. "She wants to be the Pamela Harriman of New York," said one pal, referring to the classy Washington hostess. The ebullient Denise, who is described almost universally as "likable" and "sweet," wasn't always a bonafide member of the moneyed elite. She has led a life of ups and downs that Ocean Drive magazine in a profile this week describes as a "saga sudsier than a Judith Krantz novel." She was born in Worcester, Mass., the daughter of two German immigrants who fled before the Holocaust. Her father introduced her to Marc Rich, who at the time was a promising but fortuneless commodities trader. With a stake from his father-in-law, Marc's career took off, although the marriage, which produced three children, was always stormy. Pals say Marc often derided his wife as "not smart enough" and "not attractive enough." Denise stood by her man when Marc fled the county and the couple lived in Switzerland until the early 90s, when Denise returned to New York. They divorced soon after. The split made her enormously wealthy. She continued her musical career, which Marc Rich derided as silly, and became a successful songwriter - penning the Grammy-nominated gospel hit "I Don't Wanna be Misunderstood." She gained tragic notice after daughter Gabrielle died of Hodgkin's disease at age 23. Denise soon fulfilled a deathbed promise to her daughter and began raising funds for cancer research. After her divorce, she embarked on a high-profile affair with "Dyno Gyno" Niels Lauersen, the gynecologist who was accused of raping of his former patients and settled a lawsuit in 1999 for $110,000. He was convicted this month of defrauding health-insurance companies. Denise's biggest claim to fame before last weekend's pardon were the parties she threw at "The Apartment." The 25,000-sq.-ft. duplex digs on Fifth Avenue between 60th and 61st streets feature a recording studio, a rooftop terrace - where she puts on ice-skating shows for party guests - and even a real Picasso. The tables are marble, the sofas embroidered and the parties are positively A-list events. Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Jackson have been known to show up, along with Cindy Crawford, Robert De Niro and Donald Trump. A major question hanging over Denise concerns why she interceded for her ex-husband. Friends say she has no love lost for Marc and scoffs at talk of a reconciliation. She adamantly denies the rampant rumors that she has gotten a huge payoff - as much as $900 million by some accounts - from her ex-husband for helping him out. Yesterday, she said through a spokesman that her only motivation was her now-adult children, who wanted to be with their father again. "She did it because it was very important for her children to have their father back," spokesman Howard Rubenstein said. ================================================================= Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT FROM THE DESK OF: *Michael Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends ================================================================= <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! 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