Pardon probe rows worsen
By P. MITCHELL PROTHERO
Monday, 26 February 2001 20:00 (ET)
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- As the next round of congressional hearings
about former President Clinton's last minute controversial pardons
approaches, a flurry of activity Monday saw one witness invoke her Fifth
Amendment right not to testify, and another receive a letter threatening
contempt proceedings.
Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., chairman of the House Government Reform Committee
and fierce Clinton critic who is leading the inquiry into the pardons,
denounced a key Democratic fundraiser for invoking her constitutional right
against self-incrimination. He also told the former president's lawyer David
Kendall that the refusal of the Clinton library to release its donor records
could result in a contempt of Congress finding.
Beth Dozoretz, a former top fundraiser for the Democratic National
Committee and close Clinton friend, told the committee that she would not
testify at a March 1 hearing. Burton had wanted to question Dozoretz about
fundraising she conducted for the DNC and the Clinton library, and whether
it was connected to the pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich. Denise Rich,
Mr. Rich's ex-wife, who gave more than a million dollars to democratic
causes, has already refused to testify at an earlier hearing.
"The committee has just been informed that Beth Dozoretz will exercise her
Fifth Amendment rights against self incrimination, and that she will refuse
to testify on March 1, 2001," Burton said. "I am extremely disappointed. She
now joins Denise Rich, who has already taken the Fifth. It is my hope that
when she comes before the committee on Thursday, she will change her mind
and answer the committee's questions. It is very troubling that Beth
Dozoretz and Denise Rich, both close friends of former President Clinton,
who discussed the Rich pardon with him, would refuse to testify."
The Burton inquiry is one of three probes investigating a number of
pardons issued by the former president on his final day in office,
especially that of Marc Rich and his partner, Pincus Green.
The U.S. Attorney's office in New York is conducting a criminal probe into
the pardons of the two men, who failed to return to the Unites States from
Switzerland 17 years ago to avoid prosecution on more than 50 counts of
racketeering, wire fraud and income tax evasion arising from a
sanctions-busting oil deal with Iran. And the Senate judiciary committee is
also looking into the matter.
The three parallel investigations are looking into allegations that
pardons were sold in exhange for cash given to democratic causes, including
the Clinton library and Mrs. Clinton's senatorial campaign.
Last week, they expanded to cover allegations that Clinton's half-brother
Roger lobbied on behalf of at least a half-dozen close friends who did not
receive pardons, and a $400,000 fee received by Hugh Rodham, Florida-based
lawyer and brother of former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, from the
families of two men he represented who did receive clemency.
Clinton Attorney David Kendall was also sent a letter Monday from the
committee that threatens to hold him in contempt unless he allows committee
investigators to examine the records that detail large donations to the
library effort. Last week Kendall refused a request to turn over records of
donations exceeding $5,000, citing the constitutional protection of free
association.
Clinton library Chairman Skip Rutherford has been asked by Burton to
testify on March 1 about donations made to the library that might have
influenced Clinton's decisions on pardon matters in the dying moments of his
administration.
Burton used a letter to explain the rationale for demanding the lists of
donors, saying that besides donors that might have tried to help Rich, or
his partner Pincus Green, the committee wants to check to see if any other
pardon recipients might have made donations to the fund.
Burton also offered a compromise: Rather than turning over the whole list
to the committee, the library could simply make the list available to
congressional staff, who would eliminate any names they agreed were
irrelevant, before handing it over to the committee.
Unless Kendall allows committee staff to examine the list of donors who
gave at least $5,000, Burton threatened to hold a vote charging him and the
library organization in contempt of Congress. He also said that would
question Rutherford on Thursday and would subpoena the library's bank
records unless the list is turned over.
Also subpoenaed to testify at the hearing are three former Clinton aides:
White House counsel Beth Nolan, chief of staff John Podesta and adviser
Bruce Lindsey.
Committee investigators are still waiting for rulings from the State
Department on whether Rich is still a U.S. citizen and from intelligence
agencies on whether they can declassify and release any files they have on
Rich. They are also searching White House visitor logs obtained last week to
determine when and how often Denise Rich, Dozoretz and others visited the
White House in the final weeks and months of Clinton's presidency.
Investigators are looking for links between the pardon and donations from
Denise Rich, who gave more than $1 million to Democratic causes and $450,000
to help build Clinton's proposed presidential library.
Earlier it was reported in The Washington Post Monday that Hugh Rodham
contacted White House attorneys in an effort to gain pardons for a couple
convicted of making illegal campaign contributions to Democrats.
The Post said Rodham spoke to lawyers in the counsel's office about Nora
Lum and her husband, Eugene Kung Ho Lum, who had also been convicted of tax
fraud. The report quoted a source close to the counsel's office. However,
the Lums, prominent Democratic fund-raisers at one time, did not receive a
pardon or commutation of their sentences.
Other sources familiar with the case and requesting anonymity said that
legal materials supporting the Lums' request were sent to Rodham personally
at the White House. Rodham's work on the Lums' pardon application shows that
he was more involved in the clemency process than previously known and that
he took advantage of his frequent and easy access to the White House, the
newspaper said.
Rodham's attorney, Nancy Luque, denied that her client was representing
the Lums, The Post said. "He did not represent them in any way, shape or
form in connection with any pardon request," she said. "He did not advocate
on their behalf."
--
Copyright 2001 by United Press International.
All rights reserved.
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