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December 13, 2004
Oil for pardons?
Was the WASHINGTON — Billionaire Marc Rich has emerged as a central figure in the U.N. oil-for-food scandal and is under investigation for brokering deals in which scores of international politicians and businessmen cashed in on sweetheart oil deals with Saddam Hussein, The Post has learned.I don't know whether there was a tit for tat (much less whether it can be proven) but the flow of Marc Rich's money into Clinton coffers is intriguing: The Rich connection is the latest wrinkle in a rapidly mushrooming scandal that has thrown the United Nations into its gravest crisis and has led to numerous calls for U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to step down. Bill Clinton, for his part, has said that the scandal has been misconstrued by the media. Perhaps it has. It's one thing to buy a pardon; it's another thing to use Saddam Hussein's money to do it. I said it before and I'll say it again: President Bush should have pardoned the Clintons. ADDITIONAL NOTE: As it's been a few years, readers who might not remember the circumstances surrounding the Rich pardon can peruse this excellent timeline here. What I find most remarkable is that Senator Hillary Clinton co-sponsored a bill by Senator Arlen Specter to crack down on abuses of the pardon process. (More below.) Take a peek below at what she allowed to be said on behalf of her bill. Talk about CYA! Here's an excerpt from what's below [Senator Specter speaking for himself and other senators including Senator Clinton]: The Rich case highlights the need for public disclosure of donations while the President is still in office. Denise Rich, Marc Rich's former wife, was deeply involved in trying to get a pardon for Rich. She also gave at least $450,000 to former President Clinton's library foundation. Beth Dozoretz, former finance chair of the Democratic National Committee who pledged to raise $1 million for the Clinton library, also worked on the Rich pardon.What a pardon party that must have been. (Just read some of Don Imus's remarks on the late night visitors.) ADDITIONAL THOUGHT: As to why the Clintons were never prosecuted nor pardoned, I suspect it's part of the only kind of coverup that works: a bipartisan coverup. When an investigation into wrongdoing threatens to expose things too foul for a full public investigation (lest there be a major erosion of public confidence in government), then senior players will huddle together -- and the result is a mutually beneficial deal. It stinks, but that's politics. [Congressional Record: March 29, 2001 (Senate)] posted by Eric on 12.13.04 at 12:24 PM
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Comments
That's all? I think it only adds fuel to the bribery angle. Interestingly, Barak could have faced arrest for his role in the affair. Eric Scheie · December 13, 2004 07:45 PM Well, not all to the story, obviously. Mr. Rich gives a new definition to the term, "shadowy figure." I got the feeling that Mr. Rich was somehow key in Labor party politics in Israel and that Mr. Barak needed him to be available for errands/money/friends in the global power struggle that is Israeli politics. Just guessing here ... But it seems obvious that Mr. Clinton was a big supporter of Mr. Barak's party and that they, in turn, used their influence to bolster him where they could, and that Mr. Clinton would be amenable to reinforcing that relationship where he could. bink · December 14, 2004 07:04 AM When I saw the words "House International Relations Committee", I thought of "International House of Pankakes". I have always loved those restaurants. I love to eat crepes there. I love to eat crepes anywhere I can find them. Delicious! (And there's another delicious woman on the side of Dean's and the Queen's blogs.) Old story goes that President Nixon accidentally bumped into Vice President Ford in the hall and exclaimed "Oops. Pardon me." The _style_ of that era!.... If Hillary becomes President, will she pardon Bill for his adulteries, or will she have him IMPOUNDED? I get stiff thinking about Dawn's and Norma's stiff laws against adultery. Steven Malcolm Anderson (Cato theElder) the Lesbian-worshipping man's-man-admiring myth-based egoist · December 14, 2004 02:17 PM ha! ha! I spelled "Pancakes" "Pankakes". ha! ha! Steven Malcolm Anderson (Cato theElder) the Lesbian-worshipping man's-man-admiring myth-based egoist · December 15, 2004 01:02 AM Uh, oh! "Pankakes" has 2 "K's". If I had added a 3rd "K", Dawn and Norma would think I'm a member of the International KKKommunist KKKonspiracy instead of just a Fuzzy Liberal. Steven Malcolm Anderson (Cato theElder) the Lesbian-worshipping man's-man-admiring myth-based egoist · December 15, 2004 01:05 AM |
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Ehud Barak asked Bill Clinton to pardon Marc Rich. This is all there is to the story.