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Politics : Piffer Thread on Political Rantings and Ravings -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: mph who wrote (963)	3/1/2001 2:53:38 PM
From: Original Mad Dog	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 14610

dailynews.yahoo.com Thursday March 1 1:01 PM ET Clinton Fund Raiser Refuses Pardon Testimony By John Whitesides WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The former finance chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee (news - web sites) refused on Thursday to testify to Congress about President Clinton (news - web sites)'s controversial pardon of financier Marc Rich (news - web sites). Appearing before the House Government Reform Committee (news - web sites), Beth Dozoretz cited her constitutional right against self-incrimination in refusing to answer questions about whether Clinton pardoned Rich in return for campaign contributions from Rich's ex-wife Denise. Rich fled to Switzerland 17 years ago to avoid prosecution on racketeering, wire fraud, income tax evasion and illegal oil trading charges and received a pardon from Clinton on his last day in office on Jan. 20. Dozoretz was recruited by Rich's attorney Jack Quinn to lobby Clinton on the pardon. Quinn, a former White House counsel under Clinton, has testified that Dozoretz spoke to Clinton about Rich at least twice. In his opening statement, Republican Committee Chairman Dan Burton, a long-time Clinton critic, said the former president's last-minute pardons set a double standard. ``The appearances that are being created here are obvious. If you have friends in high places you can get around the law. It makes it look like we have one system of justice for the rich and powerful and another system of justice for all the rest of us,'' he said. Burton said he was sorry that neither Denise Rich nor Dozoretz were prepared to testify. Democratic members on the committee defended the constitutional right not to testify and said efforts to keep investigating Clinton needed to stop sometime. ``We could spend months investigating the details of all of President Clinton's pardons but I seriously question whether it makes sense for us to conduct another redundant investigation,'' said Rep. Henry Waxman (news - bio - voting record) of California, the ranking Democrat on the committee. Three former top White House aides were scheduled to appear later on Thursday before the congressional panel. Former White House counsel Beth Nolan, chief of staff John Podesta and adviser Bruce Lindsey were to testify about the contacts and decision-making used in the Rich pardon that has sparked two congressional investigations and a federal criminal probe. Clinton, hoping to put the pardons scandal to rest, waived any executive privilege claims and gave his aides approval to testify freely, even though they are expected to say they opposed the pardon. Testimony and documents in the congressional probes indicate there was considerable debate over the Rich pardon in the final days of Clinton's presidency. ``He got advice that this was controversial and he got advice against doing this,'' Podesta said earlier this month. The House panel subpoenaed the three aides in its widening investigation of possible influence peddling or links between campaign donations and the pardon of Rich and others on Clinton's last day in office. Denise Rich gave more than $1 million to Democratic causes and $450,000 to the Clinton presidential library. Committee investigators got a brief peek on Wednesday at the names of those donors who contributed more than $5,000 to the library and won an agreement from Clinton attorney David Kendall for a broader review of those donors that investigators suspect might be linked to the pardon of Rich or others. The committee had subpoenaed information on all donors contributing more than $5,000 to the Clinton library fund, and threatened library officials with contempt if they did not comply. Kendall resisted the request, citing privacy concerns, but agreed to allow investigators to see more information, including dates and total donation amounts, on donors selected by committee investigators. The deal means the committee will not call Skip Rutherford, the library foundation's president, to testify on Thursday. Among the other cases being probed by Congress are those of a convicted swindler and a major cocaine dealer who paid some $400,000 to Hugh Rodham, Clinton's brother-in-law, to advance their bids for clemency. Rodham ultimately gave the money back after Clinton and former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton (news - web sites) complained. Adding to the pardon controversy, the New York Times reported on Thursday that a Tennessee couple convicted of bank fraud were pardoned a year ago by Clinton with the help of Mrs. Clinton's other brother, Tony Rodham. The pardon of carnival company owners Edgar Allen Gregory and his wife, Vonna Jo, was given despite objections from the Justice Department (news - web sites), the paper said. Tony Rodham was not paid for his efforts.