Subject: Richard Mellon Scaife Speaks! From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (David Goldman) Date: Thu, Dec 17, 1998 16:16 EST Message-id: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> The Right's answer to the Hollywood Money Bags....... > Scaife Accuses Clintons of Cover-up > Thursday, December 17, 1998; 2:30 a.m. EST > WASHINGTON (AP) -- Conservative billionaire Richard > Mellon Scaife says President Clinton is ``an > embarrassment'' but denies that Scaife money helps support > a right-wing conspiracy out to hurt the president. > ``I just want the truth to come out about Whitewater,'' the > reclusive Pittsburgh philanthropist told George magazine > editor John F. Kennedy Jr. in a rare interview. > ``I think there's been a massive cover-up about what Bill > Clinton's administration has been doing, and what he was > doing when he was governor of Arkansas,'' said Scaife, > who funds many anti-Clinton groups. > Saying Clinton ``can order people done away with at his > will,'' Scaife suggested that the president might be linked to > the deaths of dozens of administration officials and > associates, including White House aide Vince Foster, > whose death was determined to be a suicide by > investigators, and former Commerce Secretary Ron Brown, > who died in a plane crash. > The 66-year-old heir to the Mellon oil and banking fortune, > estimated at over $1 billion, also had harsh words for > Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr, whose investigation > led to the Monica Lewinsky probe and the specter of > impeachment now threatening Clinton's presidency. > ``Four years and $40 million later, we haven't gotten > anything,'' Scaife said. ``Maybe Ken Starr is a mole working > for the Democrats.'' > Scaife controls several foundations that have given millions > of dollars to organizations run by critics of Clinton. That > money included $1.7 million for a project at the > conservative American Spectator magazine to dig up > information about Clinton's role in the Whitewater real > estate deal. > A federal grand jury is probing whether some of the money > was improperly diverted to Whitewater figure David Hale, > an Arkansas businessman and convicted felon who testified > against Clinton in the Starr investigation. Hale has denied > receiving any money. > Scaife was reportedly called as a witness in the grand jury > probe. > Scaife's money also helped fund a chair at Pepperdine > University that was to go to Starr. The prosecutor later > turned the job down. > Earlier this year Hillary Rodham Clinton said there was a > ``vast right-wing conspiracy'' out to destroy her husband. > The comment was considered by some to be a veiled > reference to a cadre of Scaife-funded anti-Clinton groups. > ``If there is one, I don't know of it,'' Scaife said when asked > if such a conspiracy exists. > He said he doesn't hate Clinton and gives money to support > groups ``presenting ideas that most colleges and universities > and television don't promote.'' > © Copyright 1998 The Associated Press
