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| Adding to Clintons Legacy |
| 12.02.04 (6:44 am) |
This in from ABC News:
Dec. 1, 2004 — Former American fugitive Marc Rich was a middleman for several of Iraq's suspect oil deals in February 2001, just one month after his pardon from President Clinton, according to oil industry shipping records obtained by ABC News.
And a U.S. criminal investigation is looking into whether Rich, as well as several other prominent oil traders, made illegal payments to Iraq in order to obtain the lucrative oil contracts.
"Without that kind of middleman, the system would not work because the major oil companies did not want to deal with Iraq because there was a mandated kickback," said human rights investigator John Fawcett.
Another broker was New York oil trader Ben Pollner, head of Taurus Oil, who investigators say handled several billion dollars worth of the transactions now under investigation.
Pollner told ABC News he paid no bribes or kickbacks to the Iraqi regime.
Rich is still living in Switzerland and unavailable for comment.
The roles of several American oil companies, including ChevronTexaco and ExxonMobil, are also under investigation. ChevronTexaco received subpoenas requesting information for two separate grand jury proceedings, and said they were cooperating fully with both investigations.
The U.N. oil-for-food corruption scandal only continues to grow in scope. Today, Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., who is leading the congressional investigation into the program, said that U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan should resign because the scandal occurred on his watch.
"I think there's a terrible stain on the credibility and the reputation of the United Nations, there's no doubt about that," said Coleman. "If we're ever to get to the bottom, how can you get there if the guy who was in charge during the course of this fraud and corruption is the guy now who is supposed to be ferreting it out?"
Top officials of the United Nations, including Annan, are accused of looking the other way as some $21 billion meant for humanitarian aid was stolen by the Saddam Hussein regime.
Uncovered in the federal criminal investigation were previously undisclosed payments to Annan's son, Kojo, from his employer Cotecna. The Swiss company had been specifically hired to monitor the oil-for-food program.
So we have Marc Rich getting copious kick backs from Sadaam Hussien and using some of the proceeds to buy a pardon for some of his other nefarious activities from then President Bill Clinton. Seems that Denise Rich, Marc’s ex-wife, most generously donated over 1 million dollars to the Democratic Party and to Clinton’s presidential library. Entirely a coincidence, I’m sure.. lol..
But hey, to be fair Marc Rich wasn’t the only person pardoned by Clinton, just one of the high profile pardons he dolled out in his last days as President. I thought it might be interesting to look at a few of the other pardons Clinton gave away:
Dorothy Rivers pled guilty in April 1997 to a 40-count theft and tax evasion indictment. Rivers pocketed $1.3 million in federal HUD grants and moneys from the Illinois and Chicago governments. Officials entrusted Rivers with these funds to shelter homeless families and assist pregnant teenage girls. Instead, Rivers used these taxpayer dollars to bankroll her opulent lifestyle.
Rivers' chauffeur drove her to Neiman Marcus where she dropped $800 on a purse and $35,000 on a sable coat. She underwrote her son's Mercedes-Benz. As Bob Port of the New York Daily News reported, Rivers spent $250,000 to launch Chi-Sounds, a record company with Carl Davis, the producer of the doo-wop hit "Duke of Earl." Fittingly, one local boutique owner nicknamed the extravagant Rivers "Duchess."
Rivers also assigned a costumed Santa Claus to cruise Chicago in a limousine and hand-deliver invitations to her Christmas bash. Guests received glasses of champagne along with their party announcements. The soiree itself featured sparkling wine cascading from a six-foot-high glass. All paid for by money meant to go to homeless families. Makes one wonder why she received a pardon.
Apparently it was thanks, at least in part, to a letter written by Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., who wrote in a letter to then President Clinton, "Dorothy has been a loyal and hard-working member of the Democratic Party . . ."
It seems Dorothy also took time out of her busy social schedule to host Democratic fund-raisers as well as serve on the Management Oversight Committee of Jesse Jackson's Operation PUSH.
According to at least one federal officer close to the case, “There's no way, given the extent and nature of her crimes, that any one ever would find her qualified for clemency, She never has expressed any remorse. Ever since her sentence, she has tried to undo her guilty plea."
I guess its ok to rip off the homeless, as long as you vote democrat.
How about Carlos Vignali? This wonderful citizen won a commutation after serving six years of a 15-year sentence for distributing 800 pounds of cocaine from California to Minnesota, where it was sold as crack. Apparently Vignali's father, Horacio, is a generous political donor. Since his son's autumn 1994 trial, the elder Vignali has made $160,000 in political donations, some to Republicans but most to Democratic campaign committees and elected officials including Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif., one of several Democratic lawmakers who wrote the White House on Vignali's behalf.
President Clinton also pardoned Charles Wilfred Morgan III, an Arkansan who spent three years in jail for cocaine distribution in the 1980s. Morgan's lawyer was former Clinton White House counsel William Kennedy III. Morgan's stepfather, George Billingsley, donated $42,200 to Democrats in the 1990s. Did these contributions facilitate the pardon? Billingsley told the Wall Street Journal, "You'd like to think . . . that it had some influence."
Palm Beach attorney Arnold Paul Prosperi evaded taxes on $3 million he embezzled from clients. President Clinton commuted his three-year sentence before Prosperi, free on bond, spent even a night in the slammer. Clinton's old college pal donated $45,000 to the preservationist White House Historical Association. Prosperi is suspected of embezzling this sum, too.
Manhattan attorney Harvey Weinig pleaded guilty in September 1995 to laundering $100 million in cash for the Cali cocaine cartel. In 1994, the Daily News' Greg B. Smith reports, Weinig was involved in the kidnapping of a businessman who owed money to the drug ring. President Clinton commuted Weinig's 11-year, three month sentence, springing him 5½ years early.
That’s some legacy alright.. lol. Amazing that so many in the Democratic party want this man’s wife to run for President in 2008.
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