Justice Dept Scandal...again

DC

Moderator Emeritus
http://www.drudgereport.com/matt.htm

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX THU MARCH 09 2000 21:45:00 ET XXXXX

JUSTICE DEPT BOMBSHELL: LABELLA MEMO REVEALED!

The LOS ANGELES TIMES is reporting in a Friday frontpage blockbuster the
first public details of the Labella Report, the confidential Justice
Department memo on 1996 Democratic fundraising irregularities which
Attorney General Janet Reno has kept under wraps for two years!

The TIMES' William Rempel and Alan Miller are first with hot details.

"Among those getting special treatment, the report said, were President
Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and
former White House aide Harold M. Ickes. It is the first indication that
the task force was considering Mrs. Clinton's conduct in the fund-raising
scandal."

"In singling out Clinton, Gore, Mrs. Clinton and Ickes, LaBella's report
did not accuse them of specific criminal violations. Rather, it cited
questionable actions by them and 'a pattern of conduct worthy of
investigation' by an independent counsel."

MORE...

The TIMES is in possession of an edited version of the 94-page document
which was written by former Campaign Financing Task Force supervisor
Charles LaBella -- who was appointed by Reno.

The document accuses "senior Justice officials of engaging in
'gamesmanship' and legal 'contortions' to avoid an independent inquiry into
Clinton-Gore campaign fund-raising abuses."

The Labella memo also blames top Reno advisers for "'intellectually
dishonest' double standards -- endorsing independent counsels to
investigate Cabinet-level administration officials while opposing them for
similar or stronger cases involving senior White House figures."

MORE...

Senior Justice Department officials commenting on the memo call Labella's
conclusions "outrageous".

Myron Marlin, a Justice Department spokesman, defends Reno, stating that
she "based her decision on the facts and the laws without regard to
politics, the pundits or pressure."

"Responding on behalf of Clinton, Gore and the first lady, White House
spokesman Jim Kennedy said: 'We're not going to comment on selectively
leaked information that's allegedly from a sealed report we've never
seen.'"

MORE...

"LaBella noted administration dealings with various Asian-American
fund-raisers for the Democratic National Committee as well as with wealthy
foreign nationals that it said 'suggests a level of knowledge within the
White House -- including the president's and first lady's offices --
concerning the injection of foreign funds into the re-election effort.'"

"The report said that one of the common themes among various cases under
review at the time was 'the calculated use of access' to the White House
and high-level officials, 'including the president and vice president.'"

The document contradicts Reno's arguments to Congress that there was no
inner turmoil on the subject in the Justice Department at the time.

The TIMES describes that the environment, in fact, was "a bureaucratic
brawl that went well beyond the commonplace tensions between hard-nosed
field prosecutors and seasoned Washington superiors." [/quote]

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"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes" RKBA!
 
I'm surprised the LA Times printed this.
One would expect to find this in the OC Register.
I guess stranger things have happened.....just can't recall any at the moment.


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"Lead, follow or get the HELL out of the way."
 
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