Quote:
|
Originally Posted by SteelyLoins
"If the personal freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution inhibit the government's ability to govern the people, we should look to limit those guarantees."
- President Bill Clinton, August 12, 1993
One difference of note is that the current administration appears to be trying to look for terrorists, but when Clinton got 1,000 FBI files on Congressional representatives (of course, blackmail for voting a certain way was the furthest thing from his mind), nothing happened, and you barely read about it.
Of course, anything Clinton did is no longer relevant. It will be fun to use that "thinking" once Bush is out of office.
I'm mainly queasy about this because it sets a precedent for some future politician to misuse it for political gain.
|
SteelyLoins....the official historical record indicates that everything you posted about <b>"when Clinton got 1,000 FBI files on Congressional representatives "</b>is false, and/or misleading. The Starr report, displayed below, indicates that no criminal activity took place, that the matter was investigated by the office of special prosecutor, Kenneth Starr (investigated at the request of Attorney General, Janet Reno) and that the matter was investigated by congressional committee, "House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight". I personally recall watching Mr. Anthony Maresca testify before that committee, live....on TV.
Aside from the Plame CIA leak, there is no Special Prosecutor to investigate what the Bush administration has done, and there are no congressional committees investigating the Bush administration, aside from Sen. Pat Roberts penchant for delaying his two year old, "Phase II" pre-invasion Iraq intelligence handling.....by dividing and postponing his committees report, once again.
The contrast is glaring, today, SteelyLoins...no investigations by congress, no special prosecutor....vs. eight years of the Starr investigations against the Clinton administration, and $110 million expended. I guess that Clinton was just too smart for them, back then, huh? But it wasn't Clinton who was given a free ride....a pass. It is the current administration !
Quote:
http://www.oic-starr.gov/p000728b.htm
Press Release
Friday, July 28, 2000
Independent Counsel Robert W. Ray issued the following statement today:
The Special Division of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued an order unsealing the Final Report regarding this Office's investigation In re: Anthony Marceca (commonly known as the FBI Files matter). On March 16, 2000, the Independent Counsel concluded that no prosecutions were warranted in the FBI Files matter and closed the investigation with the filing of the Final Report with the Court. The Final Report in the FBI Files matter is now available to the public as the result of the Court's action today.
The Final Report in the FBI Files matter concludes that there was no substantial and credible evidence that any senior White House official, or First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, was involved in seeking confidential Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI") background reports of former White House staff from the prior administrations of President Bush and President Reagan.
The Report reaches that conclusion after determining that the evidence was insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Anthony Marceca, a detailee to the White House Office of Personnel Security, made any knowingly false statements in connection with his requests for FBI background reports. According to the Report, Mr. Marceca represented that "access" was the reason for his requests for background reports from the FBI. The evidence established that that representation was false in hundreds of cases where Mr. Marceca requested the background reports of individuals who no longer required access to the White House. The Report concludes, however, that the evidence was insufficient to charge Mr. Marceca with making knowingly false statements because there was insufficient evidence that he ever asked for the background report of any individual knowing, before he made a request, that the individual no longer required access to the White House.
This conclusion rested upon this Office's analysis of the testimony of witnesses, in conjunction with computer records and physical evidence, which showed that Mr. Marceca requested FBI background reports using a list that did not distinguish between "active" and "inactive" passholders. The evidence regarding Mr. Marceca's use of the list suggested that Mr. Marceca did not target specific individuals to obtain their background reports. There was no evidence that Mr. Marceca contemporaneously sought to conceal his requests for the background reports of individuals who no longer required access to the White House. Mr. Marceca notified the supervisors in the former offices of the individuals whose background reports he had requested of the need for those individuals to obtain a new background investigation. Such notification suggests that Mr. Marceca did not request the background reports to collect derogatory information on political opponents of the current Administration.
Rather, it suggests that Mr. Marceca erroneously believed that the individuals whose reports he requested were still employed at the White House and needed access. Mr. Marceca's notations on certain background reports regarding suitability for continued employment at the White House also support the conclusion that Mr. Marceca did not know that the individuals whose reports he requested were no longer employed at the White House and did not need access.
The Report also cites the lack of supervision, training, and experience as factors that led to Mr. Marceca's requests for FBI background reports for individuals who had since left the White House. The sheer number of reports produced by the FBI to Mr. Marceca, according to the Report, should have raised concerns and prompted corrective action.
The Final Report also addresses Mr. Marceca's testimony before the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight. The Report concludes that although portions of Mr. Marceca's testimony were false, the Independent Counsel declined to prosecute him because such a prosecution would not serve the purpose for which an independent counsel was appointed in this matter. Having concluded that no senior White House official, or Mrs. Clinton, was involved in obtaining FBI background reports, the Independent Counsel granted Mr. Marceca immunity to ensure full disclosure of all information relevant to the investigation.
The Final Report in In re: Anthony Marceca is available today at the main U.S. Government Bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street, N.W. in Washington, D.C. and online from GPO Access http://icreport.access.gpo.gov/, which also can be reached as a link from this Office's website www.oicray.com.
|