-Caveat Lector- <http://www.dallasnews.com/national/296416_denise_25na.html> Socialite played a crucial part in Rich pardon Fallout was a blow to ex-wife 02/25/2001 By Josh Getlin / Los Angeles Times NEW YORK For weeks she's been portrayed as a high-flying Manhattan hostess, a song-writing society maven who played only a secondary role in the controversial pardon of her ex-husband, fugitive financier Marc Rich. But Denise Rich made crucial decisions in the elaborate lobbying campaign, contacting President Bill Clinton on three occasions and vetoing a plan to seek support from Hillary Rodham Clinton, according to memoranda and e-mails generated by her ex-husband's legal team. Ms. Rich's involvement in the pardon is clearly greater than investigators originally thought, and they are now trying to determine whether she funneled any money to Mr. Clinton from her billionaire ex-husband. It's been a stunning blow to a wealthy woman who came to New York eight years ago with no political background and rapidly reinvented herself as a Democratic Party fund-raiser. A fixture in the city's high society, she had enjoyed years of good publicity. 'Generous person' "I think she's been devastated by all of this," said Bobby Zarem, a longtime friend and public relations spokesman. "Denise is just the kindest, most generous person. I can't believe she's done anything wrong." For nearly a decade, the most urgent question surrounding Denise Rich was how to wrangle an invitation to one of her soirees. But these days, federal investigators want to know whether the Grammy-nominated songwriter's $450,000 contribution to Mr. Clinton's presidential library or any of the other $1.5 million she's given to Democratic causes triggered his pardon of her former husband. The U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan has said it will subpoena her bank records, while House and Senate committees pursue similar leads. Ms. Rich declined to testify before the House Committee on Government Reform recently, citing her right under the Fifth Amendment not to incriminate herself. Through her attorney Martin Pollner, she has insisted she "has done nothing wrong with regard to the pardon and knows of no wrongdoing by others in the requesting and granting of the pardon." Mr. Rich, a fugitive financier, spoke out for the first time Saturday, describing the pardon as an "humanitarian act." In a statement distributed by a public relations office in Tel Aviv, Mr. Rich said that his 1983 indictment on charges of evading more than $48 million in taxes, fraud and illegal oil deals with Iran was a wrong remedied by Mr. Clinton. "I do not consider the pardon granted by President Clinton as an eradication of past deeds but as the closing of a cycle of justice and a humanitarian act," Mr. Rich said in the statement. Vital lobbyist Friends of Ms. Rich think that she is hardly the type to play Machiavellian political games. But based on a review of documents released recently by the House Government Reform Committee, Ms. Rich emerges as a crucial member of the lobbying team. Stressing that the pardon meant much to her personally, she wrote to Mr. Clinton twice. Determined to focus his attention on the matter, she approached him at a Dec. 20 White House Christmas party, pressing her case yet again. When Robert Fink, Mr. Rich's New York attorney, wrote a memo outlining the pardon campaign that would unfold, he said "maximizing the use of D.R. and her friends" was a top priority. Mr. Fink told his partners in an e-mail on Jan. 22 that he had an obligation to "tell the true story" of the pardon campaign because "the impression is that this was all paid for by DR [Denise Rich]. ... It will come out and it does not pay to hide what happened. People will only think the worse." Yet questions keep coming: Why would Ms. Rich mount such an effort for a man who had cheated on her? Ms. Rich has declined to comment, noting through intermediaries that she sought the pardon for her two daughters, who hadn't seen their father in the United States since he fled prosecution for oil price rigging and tax evasion in 1983. When her third daughter died in 1996 from leukemia, Ms. Rich was reportedly distraught that hecouldn't attend the funeral because of his fugitive status. Born in Worcester, Mass., to holocaust survivors who ran a shoe factory, Denise Eisenberg never lacked for money. Her father introduced her to Marc Rich, a promising oil commodities trader, and the two were married in 1966. His career took off, and they spent many years living abroad. But the troubles began in 1983, when he was indicted on charges of fraud, racketeering and tax evasion. The family was then living in Switzerland, and he refused to come home to face prosecutors. Ms. Rich's marriage soon unraveled, when she learned that her husband was going to leave her for a younger woman. "Denise was never a political person," Mr. Zarem said. "When she was first breaking into the New York scene. ... I was happy to help her. I was the one who [encouraged] her to get involved [with politics]. She's always had a very good heart, and people were attracted to her." In her 25,000-square-foot penthouse overlooking Central Park, Ms. Rich drew celebrities such as Martha Stewart, Michael Jackson, Mikhail Gorbachev, Robert De Niro and others. Moral support In one of the darkest days of his presidency, Mr. Clinton turned to her for moral and financial support. Several days after the Starr Report was issued in 1998, he flew to New York and dined with a host of Democratic dignitaries in her home. She helped raise more than $3 million for the Democratic National Committee at that event. Easygoing and down to earth, friends say that Ms. Rich is most at home with musicians. During the last 15 years, she's penned a string of hit songs for Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole, Mary J. Blige, Celine Dion and many others. Writing songs, she has said, was good therapy after her divorce. But it also strengthened her when Ms. Rich's mother, sister and best friend all died of cancer. Now, facing another test, Ms. Rich "is handling the stress as well as you'd expect," said Mr. Pollner. "I think she's astounded at everything that's happened," added Mr. Zarem. "She never expected this to descend on her." Distributed by Los Angeles Times/Washington Post News Service. The Associated Press contributed to this report. ================================================================= Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT FROM THE DESK OF: *Michael Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends ================================================================= <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
