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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Tim Luke who wrote (128767)	2/22/2001 11:06:09 PM
From: RON BL	Respond to of 769670

Rodham revelation angers Twin Cities investigators Pam Louwagie and Bob von Sternberg Star Tribune Thursday, February 22, 2001 In the Twin Cities, people closest to the case of Carlos Vignali, were furious when they got word that the brother-in-law of former President Bill Clinton successfully lobbied for Vignali's clemency. "The American system has been bought," said police investigator Tony Adams, who was among those who broke up the Minneapolis-based cocaine ring in which Vignali was a major player. Adams called for a congressional hearing into the matter. Although White House officials say each clemency petition was judged on its merits, Adams said he doesn't believe Vignali would have been set free nearly nine years early if that were the case. "Somebody needs to do the rest of his [Vignali's] time. Somebody politically in either L.A. or Washington needs to do the rest of his time -- and I'll do the paperwork for it." Altogether, 29 ring members were convicted or pleaded guilty in the case; one was acquitted. Mark Webster, who served five years in prison after pleading guilty to a conspiracy charge, called the news "crazy. The sad thing is, the big guy's out and everyone underneath him is still suffering in prison or on probation." Webster said Rodham's intervention "is how these people do it -- money under the table, one hand washing the other. Her brother gets the hit, and it greases things for Carlos. And he's out, probably riding around in his Lamborghini." Officials closest to the case say that Vignali, now 29, was an unlikely candidate for clemency, largely because he was near the top of the ring -- and unrepentant about his role in it. Most were not consulted about it, and those who were said their recommendations against it were ignored by the White House. After jurors found Vignali guilty on three counts, U.S. District Judge David Doty sentenced him to 175 months in prison. He ended up serving 67 months. Doty, who has defended the original sentence as justified, said Wednesday: "The other shoe has dropped. This seems like the playing out of a really bad string." Former U.S. Attorney Todd Jones, who strongly recommended against clemency to the U.S. pardon attorney, said the news of Rodham's involvement was a "horrible revelation." Even though Rodham has returned the money, Jones said that gesture was "too late." "I was having a hard time rationalizing how this happened, knowing what I know about the case," Jones said. "It still comes down to access to the inner circle and the decision makers. ... This stinks. I'm disappointed again." Jones received telephone calls from Alejandro Mayorkas, the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, asking about the extent of Vignali's involvement in a drug ring. On Sunday, Clinton said he decided to commute the sentence after Mayorkas and other influential leaders in Los Angeles intervened. Imprisoned defendant Todd Louis Hopson, considered a smaller player in the drug ring, wrote to his attorney last week saying he filled out a pardon application too. The Pardon Attorney's office had no record of an application from Hopson, but he filed a letter in 1998 asking for another hearing on his case. Hopson's attorney Craig Cascarano said the payments to Rodham speak for themselves. "The massive difference is my guy doesn't have $160,000 to give to the Democratic Party and doesn't have [the money] to hire Hillary Clinton's brother," Cascarano said. "Because Vignali's dad has got a lot of political influence and money, he's out and my guy is still there." Doty, a critic of harsh federal drug sentences, said the 28 other defendants are largely out of luck because their cases have been fully adjudicated. "It's probably a moot issue because everything has been played out," he said. "Their only alternative is a pardon -- maybe some will end up going to Bush?" Pam Louwagie can be contacted at plouwagie@startribune.com Bob von Sternberg can be contacted at vonste@startribune.com