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Janet Reno, Paula Jones & Spy Plane Vetoes
Bill's Fantastic South American Adventure
Bill Clinton - not in a rumba mood
Wednesday, October 15th 1997: The President, traveling around Latin America this week, had a lot more on his mind than making up for long ignoring America's biggest rumba-dancing trade partners.
On his mind?: What would Janet Reno do with her White House campaign finance investigation? How wide and deep should he use his line item veto on the military? What should he get Hillary for her 50th birthday, and what was Paula Jones family telling lawyers in Little Rock during their depositions?
Yesterday, the White House delivered an additional 100 or so campaign tapes to the Senate and Justice Department after reviewing them for possible embarrassing moments. True to form, the 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue spin doctors released the worst in advance -- one of the tapes showing the President extolling the virtues of mega-fundraiser-turned most wanted political fugitive - John Huang, in a hotel ballroom where Clinton was the guest of a group of Asian-American Democrats.
Janet Reno - Methodical
At the same time, Attorney General Reno was asking the federal courts for another 60 days to look into White House fundraising tactics and explore the possibility of potential criminal activity which would trigger the appointment of a special prosecutor. Perhaps the three-judge panel should have declined.
Several sources tell me that Reno is merely going through the motions and is already convinced that Clinton and Gore were not involved in anything illegal. Reno all but said it herself yesterday telling reporters she is "unable to determine whether there is sufficient specific and credible evidence to suggest a violation of Federal criminal law."
Reno, in an effort to placate rabid Republicans extorting her by threatening her impeachment, asked the three-judge panel, in a simple two paragraph motion for an extension in the probe of President Bill Clinton's fund-raising until Dec. 3.
Reno's own people were all for dropping the investigation Friday, but the FBI pushed Reno for more time to re-interview several witnesses and follow the money trail from donor to end-use. The FBI probe is seen by some to be retribution for some long-existing tension between the White House and the Bureau, but this probably isn't the case. More likely, Reno and the FBI want to make a show out of being certain that (1) the president didn't actually ask for money point blank, and; (2) that the President was not aware that some of the soft money he "raised" was to be partially converted by the DNC into hard money contributions to make up for a shortfall thereof.
There isn't a serious legal scholar in America who thinks Reno has reason to appoint an independent counsel solely based on the 1883 law barring pols from getting quid pro quo money from federal employees -- the big "felony" that Republicans point to remains Clinton and Gore of making fundraising calls from their White House offices. Republicans think the President and Vice President should spend a couple of hours and thousands of dollars in taxpayer money to make phone calls from the DNC Headquarters instead.
At a news conference in Brasilia with Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso standing next to him, the president told reporters "I feel nothing" about Reno's decision. "The thing I don't feel good about is the overt, explicit, overbearing attempt to politicize this whole process and to put pressure on more than one actor in it. That's wrong," Clinton added - seeming quite irritated.
Reporters trying to follow-up on the "new tapes" story with White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry in Brazil were treated to a mini-tantrum when McCurry snapped,"You can contact the travel office and get to Washington in time to cover the story tommorow."
Clinton also took a shot at Republican antagonizers saying, "The thing I don't feel good about is the overt, explicit, overbearing attempt to politicize this whole process and to put pressure on more than one actor in it. That's wrong."
Arlen Specter - antagonist extraordinnaire
Of course, publicity hound and antagonizer extraodinairre, Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) - who, defying logic, somehow sees himself as presidential fodder - commented on the Reno decision saying, "The attorney general is taking a step in the right direction, but, so far, she has stopped short of taking the action which is decisive and necessary: requesting the court to appoint independent counsel."
One finds it almost laughable that a man like Specter -- an accomplished attorney himself -- could cling to such a fantasy.
Paula Jones
The President was not to be spared further embarrassment as homosexual-baiting lawyers for Paula Jones filed papers in federal court asking about whether, as governor of Arkansas, he had sex outside his marriage and rewarded women with state jobs. The filing listed more than 70 questions about the President's past behavior and are critical to establish that Jones rights were "violated" by his alleged proposition to her nearly seven years ago.
Good Luck.
While in Brazil, the President also used his line-item veto yesterday, for the third time, to put the kibosh on 13 separate military programs, valued at $144 million from the $248 billion defense appropriations bill.
Three projects dropped from 1998 Defense spending were (1) continued operation of the SR-71 spy plane, and; (2) a "Proton Beam" cancer treatment plan; and (3) developing a new metal alloy for use in sonar equipment.
So what's the President to do? Here's my two cents. First, build one of those red British phone boxes just outside the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue for making campaign phone calls while simultaneously calling attention to the stupidity of Republicans. Second, hold out for a full-blown trial with Paula Jones and present her Penthouse spread as prima facie evidence of her credibility. Last -- and the one I'm serious about -- Retroactively redefine the "residential portion" of the White House as everything but the Oval Office. After all, it is the President's House.
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