-Caveat Lector-
>From the Los Angeles Times
Grand jury impaneled to look into Rich pardon
By Richard A.Serrano and Stephen Braun
Times Staff Writers
Published February 27 2001, 9:07 PM EST
WASHINGTON -- Prosecutors in New York have convened a federal
grand jury to begin collecting potential evidence for their
investigation of the pardon of fugitive commodities broker Marc
Rich.
The jury already has issued subpoenas and is collecting the
fund-raising �lists and documents� for Bill Clinton's
presidential library -- a clear sign that they are looking for
evidence of a quid pro quo between the Rich pardon and donations
to the former president.
=> Separately, federal prosecutors in Minneapolis have asked the
=> Justice Department for advice on whether they should open a
=> grand jury investigation into Clinton's commutation for Carlos
=> Vignali of Los Angeles. Vignali, a convicted drug dealer, was
=> released after a lobbying campaign by Southern California
=> elected officials and $200,000 in fees paid to Clinton's
=> brother-in-law, Hugh Rodham.
The New York investigation was begun after Mary Jo White, the
U.S. attorney there, expressed dismay over Clinton's last-minute
pardon of Rich. The involvement of a grand jury means that
prosecutors may believe they can develop enough evidence to
secure a criminal indictment in the pardon scandal that has
tarnished Clinton's legacy since he left the White House on Jan.
20.
=> Federal prosecutors in New York declined to comment Tuesday about
=> the scope of their probe. But the fact that a grand jury has
=> been impaneled allows them to use it as a vehicle to review
=> other pardons that Clinton granted in cases originating there.
Those include clemencies for four Hassidic Jews convicted of
bilking tens of millions of dollars from the government, and
Harvey Weinig, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison for
laundering $19 million for a Colombian drug cartel.
Clinton pardoned 15 people whose cases originated from White's
district in New York.
The former president's lawyer, David E. Kendall, confirmed the
grand jury's probe when he advised congressional investigators
Tuesday that they may have to wait to see the library
foundation's records until after the grand jury completes its
review.
�The foundation is in the process of complying with a subpoena
issued by a grand jury of the United States District Court for
the Southern District of New York,� Kendall wrote in a letter to
the House Government Reform Committee, and will produce �lists of
and documents pertaining to all persons who have given or pledged
to the foundation an amount in excess of $5,000.�
Denise Rich, the fugitive's ex-wife, has donated $450,000 to the
foundation and more than $1 million to the Democratic Party.
Prosecutors as well as congressional investigators want to know
if any of that money actually came from Marc Rich, who has lived
outside the country since 1983.
Foreign money is prohibited from U.S. political campaigns.
One way to sort that out is to examine the divorce settlement
between Marc and Denise Rich, which might show how likely it is
that she alone could afford to contribute such large sums of
money.
Meanwhile, Marc Rich refused to testify before the House panel or
provide any documents related to his pardon effort -- becoming
the third person to turn the committee down after his ex-wife and
her friend, former Democratic Party fund-raiser Beth Dozoretz,
each invoked the Fifth Amendment against self-incrimination.
Also Tuesday, Clinton waived executive privilege for three of his
top White House aides in preparation for their testimony Thursday
before the House Government Reform Committee.
Scheduled to testify are former Clinton Chief of Staff John
Podesta, former White House Counsel Beth Nolan and Bruce Lindsey,
a longtime Clinton confidant and White House adviser.
=================================================================
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
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