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Senator Fred Thompson:

Dueling With White House "Mouthketeers" While Congress Burns

Fred Thompson

Thursday, October 30th 1997: Senator Fred Thompson (R-TN) held another snore-session of his campaign finance committee yesterday, but Bob Dole wasn't there. Instead he chose to grill a few White House lawyers which, aside from majority counsel Madigan's outbursts, proved to be a bore. Meanwhile things are getting testy on Capitol Hill as most legislative work has ground to a halt in what some call a Mexican stand-off over campaign finance legislation Democrats are pimping.

As Fred Thompson found his Red October sinking into history, he confirmed that he has written Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) requesting the investigation be extended past its Dec. 31 deadline. At the same time, a couple of Washington Post reporters were putting together a hit piece on Republicans which uncovered more than $3 million in unreported "issue advocacy" ads that were run during the final days of the 1996 election. Of course, this was another scheme orchestrated by Triad "Management," which targets and assembles bogus non-profit corporations in which to launder campaign cash. These are Triad's "affiliates." The two involved in this scam were "Citizens for the Republic Education Fund" and "Citizens for Reform."

You have to laugh.

It turns out that the Cone Brothers - Robert and Ed "The Notorious" and mega-developer Fred Sacher gave a wad of cash to Triad who allegedly funneled it into the two "advocacy" groups. Some other conservative donors gave as well. Another $1.3 million appeared at Triad through something called the "Economic Trust" which appears to be a cover for the Kansas based billionaire Koch family -- founders of Koch Industries. The "affiliates" then went out and bought a few million dollars worth of television and radio ads as well as mass mailings aimed at labor and Democrat issue ads. Another $1.3 million "appeared" at Triad through something called the "Economic Trust" which appears to be a laundry for the Kansas based billionaire Koch family, founders of Koch Industries. The Cone Brothers own a company that makes childrens products but reports of Kone-spawned Kiddee Kash have not yet surfaced.

There are a lot of nervous people at Triad, who if indicted, could be found guilty of felony money laundering. Such an indictment may be in the works according to a Justice Department source, but other - more reliable sources - tell us that it will be tough to prove Triad conspired to launder the Cone, Sacher and Koch money. But just in case -- the three families do have great counsel.

Charles Ruff

Thompson spent the day eclipsed my the China delegation. His orchestrated witch hunt focused on White House Counsel Charles Ruff, Lanny Breuer and Mike Imbroscio. Thompson told his audience -- a few reporters and the voluptuous Candy Crowley of CNN -- that the Committee had been misled by the three Clinton lawyers, but then -- as usual -- failed to prove it.

Mike Madigan, the all-to-colorfully-dressed mouthpiece for the Republican majority indirectly accused Ruff and his sidekicks of conspiring to obstruct justice by delaying delivery of White House Coffee and other tapes to the Committee for seven months. But the three blew off Madigan explaining that they jumped on the request -- along with about a million other Thompson subpoenas -- and delivered as soon as possible.

Breuer defended the error as "a slip-up of the most routine and the most innocent sort, and the kind of mistake that happens every day in complicated litigation."

Ruff said, "I do not believe it's fair to suggest we withheld some treasure trove of information."

Lanny Breuer

Breuer visibly annoyed with Madigan and Thompson, stated, "The events of the past few months taken as a whole vividly demonstrate that the White House has diligently complied with this committee's many, many requests."

If Thompson thought testimony from "The Three Mouthketeers" would attract media attention he was wrong.

And, he blew it again, calling Dick Jenrette the Chairman and CEO of Equitable who is the only Democrat to admit Bill Clinton phoned him so far.

Of course, when Jenrette said the call was made in 1994, an audible sigh of ennui was heard in the gallery.

Old news again.

Richard Jenrette

Jenrette told the Committee that Clinton said he was trying to raise $2 million from about 40 individuals before the 1994 midterm congressional elections. Jenrette didn't know where the President was calling from except that he was told by the White House switchboard that Clinton would be calling from a private line which dashed Thompson's pathetic attempt to link the call to the Oval Office. Of course, even if the call was made from the Presidents office it would, most think, not violate the law.

Thompson and his henchman tried to get Jenrette to say he was "strong-armed" by Clinton.

"I didn't feel that way," he said. The call "was fairly low key. No Lincoln bedroom was offered."

Jenrette gave $50,000 to the Democratic National Committee in five $10,000 installments.

Majority counsel Michael Madigan, futilely trying to be incisive, blurted out that the third check had been deposited in a "hard money" account, usable for campaigns. "So what?," Reporters asked themselves.

Jenrette also got a call from Al Gore in February of last year. Jenrette ponied up another $25 thousand to the DNC and Don Fowler called him to say it would deposited in soft money accounts.

Carl Levin

"Why are you here?" cleverly asked Sen. Carl Levin , one of several panel Democrats who suggested Jenrette had no evidence to offer the committee. He didn't - it was all part of a mean orchestration produced by Thompson et al to embarrass big Democrat contributors.

But Republican "Bozo"Bob Smith of New Hampshire said Jenrette offered proof of the president's lack of candor. He was the only senator to believe this.

"It's not the issue of the phone calls so much is that he [the president] doesn't recall making the phone calls," Smith said. "It goes right to the heart of the president's own style of operation, and it frankly goes to the heart of candidness, character, and integrity here in this office in the presidency which is I think why we are here."

Ho hum.

Bob Smith

Smith, not known to be exactly "dynamic" couldn't relate to the President's schedule which is done by the minute, not the month, and Jenrette made the point that he gave plenty of money to Republicans as well.

Thompson's attempt to extend his carnival won't work, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott is tired of his embarrassingly boring performance and most Senators wish he and Representative Dan Burton would disappear into the sunset.

But Senator Don Nickles, who is the most viciously ant-clinton member of the Committee has it right -- "My personal hope is the investigation won't be extended unless there are significant things that have been uncovered ..." A harbinger of truth, Nickles knows that won't be the case.

Meanwhile nothing is happening in Congress.

In the Senate, the military spending bill is sitting under the threat to completely floor read its nearly 1,000 page bulk. The Highway Bill is dead because Democrats won't allow it to come up unless and until campaign finance has its up or down vote.

A Democrat filibuster is in the works over a Republican measure to establish tax-preferred savings accounts for use in education-related expenses that include the costs of private schools and Republicans are stalling on 44 presidential nominations.

In the House, nuclear waste storage site legislation is halted and Democrats will force numerous unneccessary votes in the days ahead, and have also sworn to disrupt proceedings on the floor with an "endless series of procedural motions" if the Rep. Sanchez investigation over her defeat of B-1 Bob is not dismissed right away. Four major spending bills are languishing and the President is sharpening his veto pencil.

Perhaps Thompson and his pals should eat crow and return to real work.

THE DAILY COMMENT

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From an Introduction to JK's, "Washington - The New American Babylon"