March 9, 1997

Money Trail Leads To Spoiled Kids In The White House

There comes a time with spoiled kids when you lose patience and tell them, "Go ahead and hold your breath until you turn blue. Who cares?"

That time has come with neophytes in the White House.

They flaut laws the rest of us must obey but are indulged inasmuch as they are handsome and make nice.

The nation has coddled Bill and Hillary Clinton and their playmates for five years. Enough is enough. He ducked the Vietnam draft, trashed his college Reserve Officer Training Corps and demonstrated in foreign countries against the United States. She had great fun during the Watergate brouhaha as a legal aide to the congressional committee prosecuting President Richard Nixon.

Both used their official positions in Arkansas to curry financial favors from business tycoons, legal firms, stock brokers, real estate sharpies and stewards of public funds. They found how to make the buck stop with them. Old habits die hard. In Washington, their excuses for a menu of "gate" scandals were: "It was an honest mistake," or "The Republicans do it too," or "I did nothing wrong and I won't do it again."

Now we have learned about another end run by Mrs. Clinton. An "old friend" in California named Johnny Chung wanted to give her money in gratitude for a photo-op with him and several Chinese business men.

Ultimately, President Clinton granted China most-favorable-nation trading rights despite widespread civil rights abuses there. I do not believe the $400,000 Chung raised in total for the Clinton-Gore primary campaign influenced the president's decision. But as Benjamin Franklin warned: "Lie down with dogs and you rise up with fleas."

Hillary directed Chung to discuss the matter with her chief of staff, Margaret Williams. The latter thought a $50,000 check made out to the Democratic National Committee Clinton-Gore campaign would be appropriate. Maggie accepted the check and forwarded it the DNC.

Also last week, vice-president Al Gore scrambled to explain his solicitation of campaign donations from his White House telephone.

Seven times before the cock crowed, Albert the Pure declared "My legal counsel told me it was okay," and that he had paid for the calls with a DNC credit card. House Speaker Newt Gingrich was suckered by his counsel, and that cost him an ethics committee $300,000 reprimand.

Suspicious reporters checked on the veep when his nose grew longer with each disclaimer. The calls turned out to have been charged on two different credit cards of the Clinton-Gore Campaign Committee -- perhaps one for the office and one for the wallet.

Gore then unlimbered the usual White House deny-and- attack response. "Well, yes, I did solicit donations from my office; but Dan Quayle sold access to his official residence during the Bush administration."

Then Gore flung in the Clintons' mantra of having done no wrong but won't do it again. The vice-president added a fine touch: "I'm proud of it."

For the record, it should be noted that the Quayles gave up their Naval Observatory residence home for a fund-raising soiree by the Republican National Committee. The invitations were issued by the RNC, the Quayles were not present, and no money changed hands at the event. Half-truths are worse than un-truths. Let us stipulate for the sake of argument that Republicans also have grubbed for campaign contributions. Supposedly they didn't get caught, Newt notwithstanding. No matter. Today's White House crew has been. That's the issue at hand. We don't need campaign reform as badly as we need compliance with existing campaign laws.

Worse than breaking the law, the Clintons and Gore display the ethics of "trailer-park bimbos" -- to steal a phrase. The White House and the United States presidency are sacred symbols. Selling their majesty for $4 million of reelection insurance is tacky.

One does not need a juris degree to understand Federal Felony Statute 18 USC 607(a):

"It shall be unlawful for any person to solicit or receive any contribution....in any room or building occupied in the discharge of official duties....and any person within the meaning of Sec. 301 of the 1971 Federal Election Campaign Act who violates this section shall be fined not more than $5,000 or imprisoned not more that three years, or both."

Gore et al contend the funds they solicited were "soft money" unknown in 1971 and therefore are exempt.

Just so there wouldn't be any back sliding by future White House occupants, Assistant Attorney General John Harmon emphasized in a 1979 advisory: "The president and vice- president are covered by Felony Statute 18."

The pols at Motel 1300 should have been disabused of loopholes in an early 1995 opinion rendered by White House Counsel Abner Mikva before leaving to accept a judgeship:

"Campaign activities of any kind are prohibited in, or from, government buildings. This means fund-raising events may not be held in the White House; also, no fund-raising phone calls or mail may emanate from the White House."

I believe the Clintons, Gore and Williams are real persons -- ergo, the law applies to them as equally as to you and me. By their own admissions they solicited and received campaign money, and conducted campaign activities in the White House. Case closed.

Attorney General Janet Reno, grateful for reappointment, professes inability to find any violation of law by "covered persons" justifying action by her or an independent counsel.

This despite Clinton's hand written instructions to sell White House "overnights for $50,000 and $100,000" -- and Gore's admission that he solicited campaign donations from White House phones because "we had to win." How many times will Ms. Reno fall on her sword for the Clintons?

Significantly, even die-hard Democrats are getting a belly-full of White House lies. Kenneth Lyons, president of the 120,000-member National Association of Government Employees, has called on Gore to "resign."

Brats in the White House had better take a deep breath and start worrying about "impeachment."

PARTING SHOTS

• It is doubtful that cloning will ever replace making babies the old-fashioned way.
  
• Never play leap-frog with a unicorn.

By Lindsey Williams, columnist for Sun Coast Media Group newspapers