Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy" was a phrase used by Hillary Clinton in 1998 in defense of her husband during the fresh allegations of a relationship between the president and an intern named Monica Lewinsky, during an interview on NBC's The Today Show to characterize the alleged collaboration of her husband's political enemies as the root of the allegations.

Clinton's claims came about after the Lewinsky scandal broke and her husband publicly denied his involvement with her. This followed previous incidents that alleged President Clinton to have been involved with the Arkansas Project, Troopergate, and Whitewater.^[1] In 1993 David Brock, formerly of the American Spectator, was the first to report Paula Jones' claims. As Brock explained in Blinded by the Right, after learning more about the events and conservative payments surrounding Paula Jones he personally apologized to the Clintons. On The Today Show Hillary Clinton said the attacks on her husband's presidency—specifically the Monica Lewinsky scandal, which had just surfaced, but also the campaign finance scandal, Travelgate and Whitewater scandals—were used for political gain by the Republican party.

1 Current Usage
2 The Today Show interview
3 Validity, or Lack Thereof
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Current Usage

Even before the Republicans took control of Congress in November of 1994, numerous inquiries into the activities of the Clinton Administration were made. None resulted in convictions of either William or Hillary Clinton, but did result in the conviction and imprisonment of various of their close friends and political aides-de-camp. In the end, the only reason William Jefferson Clinton was not actually prosecuted for three known counts of perjury is that Independent Counsel Robert Ray imposed seven non-criminal sanctions instead, reasoning in large part that Clinton would suffer enough by being impeached.

TROOPERGATE Troopergate purportedly involved four Arkansas state troopers being employed by William Clinton to solicit sexual activities on his behalf. The four troopers later accepted money for the inclusion of their testimony in a book on the scandal, a fact that has often been held up as proof that Troopergate was spun from whole cloth by Republican activists.

However, Clinton himself confessed on national television to having had a sexual affair with Gennifer Flowers, who alleged that the affair had been set up by Arkansas state troopers. Two of these corroborated her story. She also possessed, and played, recordings of intimate phone calls between herself and Mr. Clinton. George Stephanopoulos and James Carville claimed that these were "doctored" or "selectively edited", but never presented any evidence to support their arguments. Flowers sued both for defamation but lost her case on grounds of not being able to prove "active malice" on the part of the defendants. She likewise sued Hillary Clinton in the same motion for statements made in 1992, but the judge threw Mrs. Clinton out of the suit on grounds of Nevada's four-year statute of limitations.

WHITEWATER Meanwhile, Robert Fiske was assigned to look into financial wrongdoing regarding the Clintons' involvement in the Whitewater property, which William Clinton and Jim McDougal originally purchased in 1978. [1] Ultimately the Clintons ended up having little or nothing to do with what went on with Whitewater, but 14 other persons were convicted of more than 40 crimes, including a sitting Governor who was forced to resign. By way of comparison, a 2003 FBI bust of the Mexican Mafia (United States v. Shryock) netted 11 defendants who were collectively convicted of 20 crimes.

CONVICTIONS Jim Guy Tucker: former Governor of Arkansas, forced to resign (fraud, 3 counts)

John Haley: attorney for Jim Guy Tucker (tax fraud)

William J. Marks Sr.: Jim Guy Tucker business partner (conspiracy)

Stephen Smith: former Governor Clinton aide (conspiracy to misapply funds)

Webster Hubbell: Clinton political supporter; Rose Law Firm partner (embezzlement, fraud)

Jim McDougal: banker, Clinton political supporter: (18 felonies, varied)

Susan McDougal: Clinton political supporter (multiple fraud, embezzlement, contempt)

David Hale: banker, Clinton political supporter: (conspiracy, fraud)

Neal Ainley: Perry County Bank president (embezzled bank funds for Clinton campaign)

Chris Wade: Whitewater real estate broker (multiple loan fraud)

Larry Kuca: Madison real estate agent (multiple loan fraud)

Robert Palmer: Madison appraiser (conspiracy)

John Latham: Madison Bank CEO (bank fraud)

Eugene Fitzhugh: Whitewater defendant (multiple bribery)

Charles Matthews: Whitewater defendant (bribery)

As to the question of an actual "right wing conspiracy", the fact is that the New York Times broke the story on the Whitewater Scandal in 1992, after one of its own reporters followed up on an Arkansas paper's coverage. Far from seeking out conservative spin-doctors, the NYT began its investigation with the Madison Guaranty file at the Arkansas Securities Department. By September, the FBI --- under Janet Reno --- was investigating McDougal, Madison Guaranty, and Whitewater Development.

The next year, nine criminal referrals relating to Whitewater hit the US Attorney's office and FBI in Little Rock. Three defendants --- David Hale, Charles Matthews, and Eugene Fitzhugh --- were indicted for fraud relating to Whitewater. By January of '94 Clinton himself requested that Reno appoint a regulatory Independent Counsel for the Whitewater investigation, and Reno named Robert Fiske as IC. Kenneth Starr, whom conspiracy buffs routinely accuse of trying to "get Clinton", wasn't appointed IC until after Vince Foster's suicide in August.

It wasn't until July, two and a half years after the news of Whitewater broke, that Congress held hearings on Whitewater...the Democrats, from '92 to '94, had refused to do so while they held the majority. In August, the White House conceded that Whitewater files removed from Foster's office were kept for five days in the Clinton's residence before being turned over to their personal lawyer. Four days later, Kenneth W. Starr was appointed Independent Counsel by the Special Division.

WHITE HOUSE WHITEWATER HIJINKS One week after Webb Hubbell pleaded guilty to mail fraud and tax evasion, Associate White House Counsel Jane Sherburne creates a "Task List" which includes a reference to monitoring Hubbell's cooperation with Starr. Hubbell is later recorded in prison saying "I need to roll over one more time" regarding the Rose Law firm lawsuit. In his next court appearance, he pleads the Fifth Amendment against self-incrimination.

In May of '94, Independent Counsel Robert Fiske issued a grand jury subpoena to President and Hillary Clinton for all documents relating to Madison Guaranty, with a deadline of 30 days. They weren't turned over for eighteen months.

Throughout the affair, the White House repeated alleged various forms of "privilege" in order to avoid turning over evidence sought by the Office of Independent Counsel. At the same time, Clinton's private lawyer, David Kendall, often claimed that the OIC was engaged in illegal acts or various forms of misconduct. In each case, the OIC went to court and won. These blockade attempts dramatically increased the duration and expense of the investigation, an ironic point considering that one of the major accusations leveled at the OIC was that its investigation was overly long and expensive.

JONES v. CLINTON Perhaps the ultimate expression of the "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy" against the Clintons was, in the view of Clinton supporters, the sexual harassment suit filed by Paula Jones against William Clinton. Often derided on basis of the source of her legal funding, much of which came from Republican activists, the Jones case would not normally have warranted an Independent Prosecutor.

The civil case of Jones v. Clinton had begun in May 1994, when Paula Corbin Jones sued William Jefferson Clinton in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, alleging that, while he was Governor and she was a state employee, he made a sexual advance to her in violation of federal and state law. As with most sexual harassment cases, there was no hard evidence that the alleged offender had done anything illegal, and few witnesses to back up the purported victim. The prosecution found that it had to make a case against Clinton's character. Unfortunately for Clinton, a long line of alleged affairs made for extended fishing expeditions. Although based almost entirely on circumstantial evidence, Jones' case trudged forward. In late 1997, Judge Susan Webber Wright ruled Jones was “entitled to information regarding any individuals with whom President Clinton had sexual relations or proposed to or sought to have sexual relations and who were, during the relevant time frame, state or federal employees.”

And then on January 12, 1998, White House aide Linda Tripp came forward with recordings of conversations between herself and former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. In these recordings, Lewinsky reveals that she had falsified an affidavit in order to get into the Jones case and testify falsely on Clinton's behalf. She claimed that Clinton himself had approved this, along with Vernon Jordan, whom she expected to assist her in obtaining a job. Lewinsky repeatedly attempted to get Tripp, who was already a witness in the case, to commit perjury.

Because Jordan was already under investigation by Starr for purportedly attempting to influence Webb Hubbell on behalf of the Clintons regarding the Whitewater investigation. Jordan had set Hubbell up with a number of lucrative consulting contracts requiring only nominal work; if he were doing the same for Lewinsky in exchange for favorable testimony in court, it might establish a pattern of institutionalized bribery. Attorney General Reno recommended Starr's jurisdiction expanded to cover the Lewinsky affair.

Five days later, President Clinton was questioned under oath in a deposition about his relationships with other women in the workplace, including his relationship with Lewinsky. After being placed under oath personally by Judge Wright, Clinton denied having a “sexual affair,” a “sexual relationship” or “sexual relations” with Lewinsky. He also testified that he had no specific memory of being “alone” with Lewinsky.

When physical evidence came to light showing the absolute opposite to be true, the Independent Counsel recommended impeachment proceedings on four Articles. On December 19, 1998, the House of Representatives (which Republicans controlled by a narrow margin) approved two Articles, alleging perjury before a federal grand jury and obstruction of justice before a federal grand jury and the United States District Court, sending the matter to the United States Senate (which the Democrats controlled by a narrow margin) for trial. Prior to the trial, Democrat Senator Robert Byrd stated that even if the evidence showed Clinton was worthy of impeachment, he was going to vote against it. The count was 55 - 45 against perjury, and a tie of 50 - 50 on the count of obstruction, with Gore casting a vote against.

In the end, the final Independent Counsel, Robert W. Ray, said:

"The Independent Counsel’s judgment that sufficient evidence existed to prosecute President Clinton was confirmed by President Clinton’s admissions and by evidence showing that he engaged in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice."

More specifically, the Independent Counsel concluded that President Clinton testified falsely on three counts under oath in Jones v. Clinton. However, Ray chose to decline criminal prosecution in favor of what the Principles of Federal Prosecution call "alternative sanctions". This included being impeached:

"As a consequence of his conduct in the Jones v. Clinton civil suit and before the federal grand jury, President Clinton incurred significant administrative sanctions. The Independent Counsel considered seven non-criminal alternative sanctions that were imposed in making his decision to decline prosecution: (1) President Clinton’s admission of providing false testimony that was knowingly misleading, evasive, and prejudicial to the administration of justice before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas; (2) his acknowledgement that his conduct violated the Rules of Professional Conduct of the Arkansas Supreme Court; (3) the five-year suspension of his license to practice law and $25,000 fine imposed on him by the Circuit Court of Pulaski County, Arkansas; (4) the civil contempt penalty of more than $90,000 imposed on President Clinton by the federal court for violating its orders; (5) the payment of more than $850,000 in settlement to Paula Jones; (6) the express finding by the federal court that President Clinton had engaged in contemptuous conduct; and (7) the substantial public condemnation of President Clinton arising from his impeachment."

These seven sanctions, Ray reasoned, were "sufficient", and therefore he did not pursue further sanctions in a criminal proceeding. And so, William Jefferson Clinton escaped ejection from office, and time in prison afterwards, by the narrowest of margins and a bit of compassion from his opposition.[2]

In 2004, conservative lawyer Mark W. Smith wrote The Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy Handbook, which came with a "membership card" that made its owner an "official member of the VRWC." A number of entrepreneurs are selling VRWC merchandise. [3]

[edit] The Today Show interview

Allegations that Bill Clinton had an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky first made national headlines on January 21, 1998, when the story was picked up by the Washington Post. Despite swift denials from President Clinton, the clamor for answers grew louder. On January 27, 1998, Hillary Clinton appeared on The Today Show, in an interview with Matt Lauer:

Matt Lauer: "You have said, I understand, to some close friends, that this is the last great battle (Monica Lewinsky Scandal), and that one side or the other is going down here."

Hillary Clinton: "Well, I don't know if I've been that dramatic. That would sound like a good line from a movie. But I do believe that this is a battle. I mean, look at the very people who are involved in this—they have popped up in other settings. This is—the great story here for anybody willing to find it and write about it and explain it is this vast right-wing conspiracy that has been conspiring against my husband since the day he announced for president."

[edit] Validity, or Lack Thereof

Hillary Clinton's allegations included attacks against independent counsel Kenneth Starr, whom she claimed routinely leaked information damaging to her husband. In fact, Starr challenged these allegations in the federal courts, which found no evidence of any such leaks. President Clinton's own ultimate admission to having an "improper physical relationship" with Monica Lewinsky resulted in a long-standing rift between the First Lady and the President which lasted well beyond the end of his second term.

What hard evidence does exist of a "vast right wing conspiracy" is mainly based on the work of David Brock, a conservative-turned-liberal pundit, who has said he himself was once a party to an an effort to dredge up a scandal against Clinton. He documented his experience in Blinded by the Right: The Conscience of an Ex-Conservative', wherein he alleged that Arkansas state troopers had taken money in exchange for testimony against Clinton which Brock had published in a previous book. Adam Curtis also discusses the concept in his documentary series The Power of Nightmares.

Claims have also been made against Republican supporter and billionaire Richard Mellon Scaife, whom former Clinton White House Counsel Lanny Davis once claimed was using his money "to destroy a president of the United States." However, Scaife is public about his political spending (q.v. [4]); as CNN stated in a study the news outlet conducted on Scaife, "If it's a conspiracy, it's a pretty open one."[5]