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Politics : Did Slick Boink Monica? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: jlallen who wrote (13510)	4/15/1998 3:59:00 PM
From: Zoltan!	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 20981

Starr Asked to Open Criminal Investigation; Former Sen. David Pryor and Justice Officials Targets of Request PRNewswire Tuesday April 14, 1:57 pm Eastern Time Company Press Release SOURCE: Landmark Legal Foundation HERNDON, Va., April 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Landmark Legal Foundation today filed a comprehensive petition with the Office of Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr asking Mr. Starr to open a criminal investigation to determine whether former Senator David Pryor (D-Ark), political appointees at the Justice Department, and Clinton surrogates attempted to obstruct justice in his Whitewater investigation and possibly intimidate a key cooperating witness, David Hale. In his petition to Mr. Starr, Mark R. Levin, Landmark's president, noted that ''On April 9, 1998, Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder sent you ... a remarkable letter which not only lacks critical facts, but is clearly intended to raise public concerns about the credibility of your investigation, ignite partisan attacks against you and your staff, and give the Justice Department's imprimatur to politically-motivated charges leveled against you and your staff by Clinton supporters and surrogates.'' Levin said today, ''United States Attorney P.K. Holmes III, a Clinton political appointee, dispatched FBI agents to investigate allegations of payments to Mr. Hale only after he was apparently contacted by Mr. Pryor -- a top Clinton confidant and head of the new Clinton legal defense fund. A few months ago, Mr. Pryor also met with Federal District Judge Susan Webber Wright, ex parte, where he pleaded for the release of convicted felon and former Clinton business partner Susan McDougal. Moreover, Mr. Holmes had no legal authority to look into this matter because a federal court gave jurisdiction over all investigative matters related to Whitewater to Mr. Starr. Messrs. Pryor's and Holmes' motivation and role in instigating an nvestigation of a primary witness against the president, as well as conservative critics of the president, demands a thorough criminal investigation to determine whether Clinton partisans have attempted to witness-tamper and impede Mr. Starr's probe.'' Levin added, ''Caryn Mann, the supposed key eyewitness to payoffs -- who was a 1992 Clinton delegate to the Florida state Democratic convention -- initially alleged that she observed payments being made to Mr. Hale. She has since recanted. Mr. Starr should determine whether Miss Mann, or any other person contacted by Mr. Holmes, gave false statements to investigators. He should also determine whether Miss Mann's allegations were solicited. Providing false statements to federal investigators is a crime. (18 U.S.C. Sec. 1001) Levin said, ''The role of Attorney General Janet Reno, Mr. Holder, and other top Justice Department officials in authorizing an investigation based on specious allegations from a dubious source -- where these officials knew they had no legal jurisdiction to initiate an investigation -- underscores the partisan and perhaps unlawful nature of their venture. Mr. Starr needs to determine whether the Clinton Justice Department is colluding with the president's surrogates to derail his Whitewater investigation.'' On Friday, April 10, the day after Mr. Holder finally referred the matter to Mr. Starr's office, Mr. Clinton's criminal defense lawyer, David Kendall, wrote a letter to Mr. Starr asking him to return the investigation of Mr. Hale and the president's critics back to the Justice Department. Levin said, ''Mr. Kendall's motives are transparent. He wants the president's political appointees at the Justice Department, who have demonstrated reluctance to pursue past presidential scandals, to assert control over Mr. Starr's investigation of the Whitewater affair. Of course, Mr. Kendall's request, if granted, undermines the purpose of the Independent Counsel Act, which is to remove investigations of the president from the Justice Department.'' Landmark's comprehensive petition to Mr. Starr details the improper and potentially unlawful conduct requiring his attention. The letter and supporting exhibits are available upon request. SOURCE: Landmark Legal Foundation freerepublic.com

To: jlallen who wrote (13510)	4/15/1998 4:12:00 PM
From: Zoltan!	Respond to of 20981

Justice Department Says No to Investigation Of Illegal Leak of Linda Tripp's Personnel File PR Newswire April 15, 1998, Wednesday Unnamed DATELINE: HERNDON, Va., April 15. A top Justice Department official informed Landmark Legal Foundation today that he will not open a criminal investigation into the illegal disclosure of confidential information from Linda Tripp's Defense Department security file to the New Yorker magazine. Mrs. Tripp is a key witness in Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's investigation of the President. In response to Landmark's March 17, 1998 request to Attorney General Janet Reno that she launch an investigation, Lee Radek, Chief of the Criminal Division's Public Integrity Section, wrote, "An inquiry into this matter is already underway within the Defense Department, to which the Justice Department will defer until such time that a prosecutive opinion is sought concerning any potential criminal violation." Landmark's president, Mark R. Levin, said, "This is outrageous. The Justice Department is waiting to be told by the Defense Department whether any laws have been broken. Clearly, Mrs. Tripp's rights under the Privacy Act and the Constitution's Fourth Amendment were violated. In any event, the Justice Department should not defer law enforcement decisions to other federal agencies, and traditionally it does not. It has primary responsibility for enforcing the law." Levin, a top Justice Department official in the Reagan Administration, added, "There is a disturbing pattern emerging from the Clinton Justice Department. Recently, United States Attorney P.K. Holmes III, with the apparent support of senior Justice Department officials, opened an investigation of Mr. Starr's key Whitewater witness, David Hale, despite the fact that Mr. Holmes did not have legal jurisdiction to do so. Yet, when another key Starr witness, Mrs. Tripp, has her rights violated, the Justice Department refuses to act." Levin added, "The message seems clear and consistent. If you cooperate with Independent Counsel Starr's investigation of the President, you may be subjected to intimidation and abuse which the Justice Department will either ignore or even encourage." Landmark is a public interest law firm and ethics watchdog group with offices in Kansas City, Mo., and Herndon, Va. freerepublic.com