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Mainstream Media Ignores Massive Campaign Finance Fraud by Hillary
By Christopher J. Petherick
While the mainstream media continues to focus on the Democratic presidential horse race between Sen. Hillary Clinton (N.Y.) and Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.), an ongoing court case charging massive campaign finance fraud on the part of Mrs. Clinton’s Senate campaign has largely been ignored by the corporate-owned press in the United States.
So far, Mrs. Clinton has been shielded from charges that her Senate campaign in 2000 knowingly falsified Federal Election Commission (FEC) financial statements to hide over $1 million in illegal donations. Instead, Justice Department lawyers have converged on lower-level staff members, dragging them into court to testify regarding the accusations of fraud.
David Rosen, her former finance director, has been the only individual to have been indicted for violations. He was eventually found guilty and fined $35,000.
FBI investigators have focused on an Aug. 12, 2000, fundraiser and concert held by California media mogul Peter Paul who provided more than $1.1 million in “in-kind contributions”—goods and services provided for free or below cost. According to FEC law, goods and services constitute donations and must be declared in quarterly statements.
The FBI said that it had evidence that Mrs. Clinton’s campaign willfully understated its fund-raising costs so it would have more money to spend on the campaign.
Paul himself has testified that he donated over a million dollars to the Clinton campaign and that these donations were never reported to the FEC. Also, Mrs. Clinton’s treasurer, Andrew Grossman, has admitted under oath that he knowingly filed false FEC statements and may face charges in the future, too.
The case has been ongoing for a number of years now, but the mainstream press has yet to mention it.
The Justice Department stated early on that neither Mrs. Clinton, nor former President Bill Clinton, who played a role in her campaign, will face prosecution or be forced to testify in the case. The U.S. Justice Foundation (USFJ), a non-profit legal group, has filed a civil lawsuit against the Clintons, on behalf of Paul, seeking to compel the Clintons to testify under oath about the role they played in the scandal.
In 2004, the USJF went before the California Supreme Court to argue that it should go to trial. The state’s highest court ruled that the case should proceed, and it has been working its way up the courts since then.
The Clintons, who, according to tax returns have amassed a fortune worth $109 million, have fielded a division of high-priced lawyers to keep a tight lid on the case. But court watchers are optimistic that Mrs. Clinton may be forced to state under oath whether she played a role in falsifying official financial statements.
To some Democratic Party insiders, this latest scandal has only solidified the long-held view that the Clintons are vindictive liars, who are willing to sacrifice even longtime supporters in order to keep their hold on power.
Is it fear that has prompted such loyalty among staffers—even to the point of risking fines and prison sentences? The Clintons are well known for maliciously retaliating against those who undermine their “integrity.” Even today, her presidential campaign is notorious for pressing media outlets to fire reporters who write critical pieces about the two.
Author Victor Thorn, in his latest book, Hillary (and Bill): The Sex Volume, has produced one of the most exhaustive accounts of the intimidation, the smear jobs and the retribution the Clintons and their powerful machine have engaged in over the years. While Thorn’s book is not for the faint of heart, it is the unvarnished truth about this power couple that has so far managed to evade substantial charges levied against them for campaign fraud. [Hillary (And Bill) : The Sex Volume is available from FIRST AMENDMENT BOOKS for $30, #3002.]
Christopher J. Petherick is the former editor of American Free Press owner and publisher of Brandywine House Books & Media. Visit his web site, BrandywineHouse.us, for information on his books.
(Issue # 16, April 21, 2008)
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