November 18, 2004
THAT'LL BE IN THE NEW WING:
WHAT YOU WON'T FIND IN THE CLINTON MUSEUM AND LIBRARY (Sam Smith, Progressive Review)
THE CLINTON LEGACYRECORDS SET
- The only president ever impeached on grounds of personal malfeasance
- Most number of convictions and guilty pleas by friends and associates**
- Most number of cabinet officials to come under criminal investigation
- Most number of witnesses to flee country or refuse to testify
- Most number of witnesses to die suddenly
- First president sued for sexual harassment.
- First president accused of rape.
- First first lady to come under criminal investigation
- Largest criminal plea agreement in an illegal campaign contribution case
- First president to establish a legal defense fund.
- Greatest amount of illegal campaign contributions
- Greatest amount of illegal campaign contributions from abroad
** According to our best information, 40 government officials were indicted or convicted in the wake of Watergate. A reader computes that there was a total of 31 Reagan era convictions, including 14 because of Iran-Contra and 16 in the Department of Housing & Urban Development scandal. 47 individuals and businesses associated with the Clinton machine were convicted of or pleaded guilty to crimes with 33 of these occurring during the Clinton administration itself.
STARR-RAY INVESTIGATION
- Number of Starr-Ray investigation convictions or guilty pleas (including one governor, one associate attorney general and two Clinton business partners): 14
- Number of Clinton cabinet members who came under criminal investigation: 5
- Number of Reagan cabinet members who came under criminal investigation: 4
- Number of top officials jailed in the Teapot Dome Scandal: 3
CRIME STATS
- Number of individuals and businesses associated with the Clinton machine who have been convicted of or pleaded guilty to crimes: 47
- Number of these convictions during Clinton's presidency: 33
- Number of indictments/misdemeanor charges: 61
- Number of congressional witnesses who have pleaded the Fifth Amendment, fled the country to avoid testifying, or (in the case of foreign witnesses) refused to be interviewed: 122
SMALTZ INVESTIGATION
- Guilty pleas and convictions obtained by Donald Smaltz in cases involving charges of bribery and fraud against former Agriculture
Secretary Mike Espy and associated individuals and businesses: 15- Acquitted or overturned cases (including Espy): 6
- Fines and penalties assessed: $11.5 million
- Amount Tyson Food paid in fines and court costs: $6 million
CLINTON MACHINE CRIMES
FOR WHICH CONVICTIONS WERE OBTAINEDDrug trafficking (3), racketeering, extortion, bribery (4), tax evasion, kickbacks, embezzlement (2), fraud (12), conspiracy (5), fraudulent loans, illegal gifts (1), illegal campaign contributions (5), money laundering (6), perjury, obstruction of justice.
Mr. Smith dislikes Bill Clinton for the reasons we like him--forsaking liberalism and destroying the Democratic party--but this is a delightfully harsh takedown. Posted by Orrin Judd at November 18, 2004 5:55 PM
Some of these "firsts" and "greatests" are due solely to the times, or are nominal.
First Prez sued for sexual harrassment, first First Lady under criminal investigation, greatest amount of illegal contributions, greatest foreign illegal contributions...
None of those mean, "since Washington", just "since Reagan or thereabouts".
Others DO indicate that Clinton was among the sleaziest US Presidents, EVER.
Posted by: Michael Herdegen at November 18, 2004 6:40 PMWhy not since Washington?
Posted by: oj at November 18, 2004 6:53 PMBut we might find some pieces that were in the WH.
Posted by: Sandy P at November 18, 2004 6:54 PMoj:
Because NO President was at risk of being sued for sexual harrassment, nor were there such things as "illegal" campaign contributions, before the modern era.
First Ladies didn't have independent careers that could generate legal scrutiny.
Even the number of associates indicted probably ought to be on a per-capita basis, since the Federal government was much smaller between Lincoln and FDR.
Posted by: Michael Herdegen at November 19, 2004 2:26 AM2008 political advertisement, probably paid for by another Democratic candidate:
Photo of Hillary, with her voice-over:
"I don't remember... I don't recall... I have no recollection."
Michael:
The last is a good point, Grant is only thought uniquely corrupt because the first to have several scandals-=-following the Civil War increase in the size of the state and the money available to steal. Yet George W. Bush's Cabinet hasn't had any trouble remaining free of financial.
The rest is kind of mythical--employess had causes of action against employers and women against men before 1988. Likewise, many first wives had property, careers, and the like, just not the same scandals.
Posted by: oj at November 19, 2004 8:13 AMBUT SYSTEM-LORD CLINTON IS A GOD!
AND A GOD CAN DO NO WRONG!
SO SAY THE MEDIA AND ALL OTHER LOYAL JEFFAH!
(and I've got to stop watching so much Stargate SG-1...)
Posted by: Ken at November 19, 2004 2:05 PMEven if all the things mentioned in Smith's article are marks of "normal" presidential behavior simply minor things blown out of proportion by right-wing extremists, no one is going to want to listen to it all again in 2008! Hillary will be tuned out by all but her most loyal worshippers.
It would be humerous watching and listening as Bill gets introduced as FIRST GENTLEMAN OF THE UNITED STATES.
Posted by: dpw at November 20, 2004 11:30 PM