January 4, 1998

Clinton Kills His Bankrupt Legal Fund, Plans Bigger One

President Clinton’s vaunted money-raising skill seems to be running out of steam. He closed down his personal legal-defense trust fund last week after it incurred its own legal debts.

This comes at a time when the legal troubles of himself, Mrs. Clinton, and seemingly all those within ear shot, are mounting exponentially. Michael H. Cardozo, director of the Clinton defense trust, ruefully admits the fund racked up $92,000 costs while receiving only $80,000 from donors.

Approximately $3 million in legal bills are unpaid by Clinton -- not counting those piling up in his efforts to deflect Paula Jones’ sexual harassment charges. In addition, Clinton some time ago announced he would pay the legal expenses of any associates caught up in the original Whitewater scandals. At the time, Webster Hubbell and Susan McDougal were found guilty of embezzling funds. Their silence about involvement of the president became golden.

The Clinton trust got into deep mire when champion FOB (Friend of Bill) Yah Lin “Charlie” Trie dumped $460,000 in money orders on Cardozo’s desk. Unfortunately for White House conspirators, the booty was deposited even though the orders were numbered sequentially and filled out in identical handwriting.

When Senate investigators discovered this “honest mistake,” the Clintons returned the money. Charlie fled to China where no one but Newscaster Tom Brokaw can find him. Cardozo allows as how publicity about the illegal donations had a “chilling effect” on trust donations.

Not to worry, though. The president’s legal counsel is whomping up a new trust fund that will raise the giving limit from $1,000 to $5,000 and permit the president to personally solicit contributions. Turn down the covers on the Lincoln bed.

Clinton ’s appeal for FOBs to send bail under the original plan is off to a good start. During the last six months of 1994, the trust fund took in $608,000. The take was $258,000 in the first half of 1995, and $62,000 for the last half. The fund ended in the red last year.

Since the halcyon days of Clinton’s first term, heavy weather moved in. James McDougal was convicted of bankrolling the Clintons’ participation in the Whitewater real estate development with savings and loan deposits. Arkansas Governor Jim Guy Tucker and other FOBs were convicted of defrauding another lending firm of $2 million in the Castle Grande real estate scheme.

Now comes Henry Cisneros, Clinton’s former Housing Secretary, who has been indicted on 18 felony counts of conspiracy, obstructing justice and making false statements to the FBI about payments to a mistress. Three others, including the mistress, were similarly charged.

Then, Federal Judge Royce Lamberth, ruled that Ira C. Magaziner, the White House aide who helped Mrs. Clinton craft an ill-fated health care plan, was “dishonest” in hiding the identities of committee members. The judge levied a $285,854 fine on the White House. John Podesta, Clinton’s deputy chief of staff, says the fine will be paid “using appropriate government funds.” How does this square with Democrat insistence that House Speaker Newt Gingrich pay his $350,000 ethics fine from his own pocket -- not even partly with a personal loan from Bob Dole or donations from other friends?

The next day, Mike Espy, Clinton’s former agriculture secretary, was fingered by Don Tyson, chairman of the Tyson Foods Company of Arkansas, for accepting $12,000 in gifts. Also, Espy is accused of soliciting $35,000 from companies he regulated.

Tyson was fined $6 million for its cozy relationship with both Bill and Hillary.

However, the firm was allowed to keep its $200 million in annual sales to the Agricultural Department. Tyson, be it remembered, parlayed Mrs. Clinton’s $1,000 one-year investment in cattle futures into a $100,000 “profit.”

All of this legal action was prompted by discoveries and prosecutions by three special counsels. Kenneth Starr’s grand jury investigating the Clinton’s personal Washington shenanigans is yet to be heard from.

White House spinmeisters bluster that “everyone does it,” “only a few low-level culprits have been accused,” “the public is tired of hearing about old stories,” and “it’s a costly witch hunt with tax payers’ money.”

The facts are that the special counsels operating under the Whitewater rubric have obtained 34 felony convictions. A dozen indictments await trial. Twelve witnesses have fled the country. Fifty witnesses have pled the Fifth Amendment.

Two cabinet-level officials, four deputy department heads, two bank presidents, a senior law partner and a state governor are not small potatoes.

Special Counsel Donald Smaltz, who prosecuted the Espy-Tyson mess despite Justice Department obstructions, is accused by knee-jerk Democrats of spending three years and $8.5 million on petty crimes.

The record shows that Smaltz has obtained convictions of seven persons, five corporations and a law firm. Three cases, including that against Espy, are pending.

He has collected $10.5 million so far in fines and penalties.

More importantly, everyone does not do it. What ever it costs to clean up corruption in politics is worth the money.

President Nixon’s Watergate scandal involved an unauthorized piece of “jackassery” by zealous aides. They were caught trying to plant a listening device in the Democratic Nation Committee office. The objective was to discover who in the White House was leaking campaign strategy to the competition. The crime was trying to covering up attempts to avoid censure.

President Reagan’s Iran-Contra affair involved the diversion of money from private arms sales to anti-communist rebel forces in Central America. Such aid was alternately approved and banned by a series of five congressional amendments. In the end, communism was driven from Central America; and the Soviet Union collapsed.

The point is that Nixon’s and Reagan’s transgressions were not motivated by personal greed. The Clintons’ coterie of FOBs sought, and still seek, money for themselves.

The difference may be minuscule to some people, but trust and sacrifice are key stones of representative democracy. Without them, the United States will become just another lump on the ash heap of history.

PARTING SHOTS

Better check your toilet tank. As of Jan l, our nanny government has decided to enforce a 1992 environmental act allowing just 1.6 gallons of water per flush -- in contrast to the 3.5 gallons formerly permitted. Let’s all rally around the rousing battle cry: “Get the government out of our toilets!”

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I know you believe you understand what you think I said; but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.

By Lindsey Williams, columnist for Sun Coast Media Group newspapers