-Caveat Lector- <http://dailynews.yahoo.com/htx/nm/20010226/ts/clinton_pardons_dc_42.html> Monday February 26 11:26 PM ET Denise Rich Visited White House Night Before Pardon By John Whitesides WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Denise Rich, former wife of fugitive financier Marc Rich, visited the White House with Democratic fundraiser Beth Dozoretz the night before former President Clinton granted her ex-husband a pardon, sources said on Monday. Denise Rich, whose donations of more than $1 million to Democratic causes and $450,000 to Clinton's library fund have raised questions about the pardon, visited the White House at least 13 times during Clinton's presidency, the sources said. The final visit came in the early evening hours of Jan. 19, just hours before Clinton granted the controversial pardon to Marc Rich on Jan. 20, his final day in office. The sources said the two women arrived at the White House about 5:30 p.m. and possibly attended a party for close friends of Clinton. It was not known when they left. Dozoretz, a friend of Clinton's and the former finance chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, told congressional investigators on Monday that she would not testify at a hearing on the pardon. Like Denise Rich earlier this month, she cited her constitutional right against self-incrimination in refusing to appear before the House Government Reform Committee. The panel, one of two congressional committees examining widening allegations of influence peddling and possible illegal payments linked to the pardons for Rich and others, had subpoenaed Dozoretz to appear at the hearing on Thursday. Dozoretz was recruited by Marc Rich's attorney Jack Quinn to lobby Clinton on the pardon, and Quinn has testified to Congress that she spoke to Clinton at least twice on the issue. ``Because of the pendancy of other investigations, Ms. Dozoretz, upon advice of counsel, has elected to invoke her constitutional privilege not to testify,'' her attorney, Thomas Green, told the House committee in a letter. The U.S. Attorney's office in New York is conducting a criminal probe into Clinton's pardon of Rich and his partner Pincus Green, who fled to Switzerland 17 years ago to avoid prosecution on more than 50 counts of racketeering, wire fraud, income tax evasion and illegal oil trading with Iran. Investigators are looking for links between the pardon and donations from Denise Rich, who gave more than $1 million to Democratic causes and $450,000 to help build Clinton's proposed presidential library. House investigators have searched White House visitor logs obtained last week to determine when and how often Denise Rich, Dozoretz and others visited the White House in the final weeks and months of Clinton's presidency. The parallel congressional and criminal investigations have expanded to cover allegations about other pardons, including charges that Clinton's half-brother Roger lobbied on behalf of at least a half-dozen close friends who did not receive pardons. Also being investigated is a $400,000 fee given Hugh Rodham, lawyer brother of former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, by the families of two men he represented who did receive clemency. Sen. Clinton, a New York Democrat, said last week she was unaware of the payments to her brother, which were subsequently returned. House Committee Chairman Dan Burton of Indiana, who sent a letter to Clinton library officials on Monday threatening contempt charges if they do not make their donor lists available, said he was ``disappointed'' with Dozoretz's decision not to testify but she must still appear. ``It is my hope that when she comes before the committee on Thursday, she will change her mind and answer the committee's questions,'' he said. Burton said the refusal of the two women to testify and the library's refusal to turn over its donor lists, subpoenaed by the panel earlier this month, were signs of ``stonewalling tactics'' on the investigation. ``It is beginning to seem that the reason people aren't answering questions is because they are hiding something,'' Burton said. Burton's panel has subpoenaed lists of all donors who contributed more than $5,000 to the Clinton library fund, hoping to find evidence of possible payments funneled from Rich through conduits or other donors with links to the pardons. Clinton attorney David Kendall has rejected the request, calling it an ``an unprecedented intrusion.'' Burton, one of Clinton's harshest congressional critics, offered a compromise to Kendall on Monday in which investigators would view the lists and eliminate those names that were not pertinent to the investigation before they were handed over to the panel. The Thursday hearing in the House is expected to focus on how the controversial pardon of Rich was handled by White House staff in the frantic final days before it was granted. Testimony and e-mails at the first House and Senate hearings indicated an intense debate raged among White House lawyers, staff and Clinton before the pardon was granted. Also subpoenaed to testify at the hearing are three top former Clinton aides: White House counsel Beth Nolan, chief of staff John Podesta and adviser Bruce Lindsey. ================================================================= 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. 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