NY Observer Says Hillary Clinton `Unfit' for Office
New York, Feb. 28 (Bloomberg) -- The New York Observer said in a front-page editorial that Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton ``is unfit for elective office'' and if she had ``any shame, she would resign'' because of the White House pardons.
The Observer, in an editorial under the headline ``Clinton Corruption Plays Us for Fools -- We Won't Forget,'' said: ``New Yorkers now have an obligation, not only to themselves but to the nation: They must remember. They must remember exactly how they feel about the Clintons at this moment, exactly how they felt when their junior Senator claimed she didn't know that her own brother was bidding for pardons from her husband.''
In Washington, Clinton spokeswoman Karen Dunn said: ``Senator Clinton is working hard every day in the Senate to improve the lives of New Yorkers, fighting for better education and health care. The observers that matter the most here are her constituents.''
The Observer, a Manhattan-based weekly newspaper, has a following in media, political and cultural circles. Managing Editor Mary Ann Giordano said its circulation is above 50,000.
The editorial said: ``It is clear now that we have made a terrible mistake, for Hillary Rodham Clinton is unfit for elective office. Had she any shame, she would resign.''
`Sleazy Dealings'
``Unlike the tawdry dealings that led to Bill Clinton's impeachment, the pardon scandal implicates Mrs. Clinton as much as, and perhaps even more than, her husband,'' the editorial said. ``After all, it was her brother, not his, who accepted $400,000 to lobby for pardons for a drug kingpin and a swindler.''
The newspaper said Senator Clinton, a Democrat elected last November with 55 percent of the vote, is a ``partner in a scandal whose sleazy dealings finally have been brought to light.''
Representatives of the former President didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
Mrs. Clinton said during a news conference last week that she wasn't involved in the pardons granted by her husband to fugitive commodities trader Marc Rich and others, except to pass information to White House officials when asked.
She said she didn't know her brother, lawyer Hugh Rodham, or her U.S. Senate campaign treasurer, William Cunningham III, had been paid to work on clemency applications approved in the final hours of Bill Clinton's presidency.
The former President also said he didn't have ``any knowledge'' of payments to Rodham.
Rodham worked on behalf of a pardon for Almon Glenn Braswell, who was convicted of mail fraud and perjury. He also sought commutation of a 15-year prison term of Carlos Vignali, who was convicted of cocaine trafficking. Braswell was pardoned and Vignali received the commutation after having spent six years in prison.
The Clintons said Rodham has agreed to return his fees at their request.
Feb/28/2001 17:10 ET
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