Commercegate

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Commercegate was the selling of seats on United States federal planes going on international trade missions, the goal to raise campaign contributions.

Nolanda Hill, a close business associate of Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown, testified in court in 1998 that Brown had told her that trade mission plane seats were sold to business people who gave at least $50,000 each to the DNC.^[1] A federal judge found that a US Commerce Department official appeared to have deliberately destroyed documents, which had been subpoenaed in a lawsuit, concerning the department's trade missions to China.^[2]

U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth heard Hill's testimony. Hill was under federal indictment for fraudulent business practices, said Brown was angered when White House political staff made him to give seats on the trade missions for fund-raising. Hill said main person at the White House was Alexis Herman, later Clinton's Labor secretary. Hill said, an assistant to Herman, Melissa Moss, wrote the contribution letters which angered Brown. Hill also testified in court that Brown told her President Bill Clinton and Mrs. Clinton supported the plan to sell seats.

In February of 1999 Nolanda Hill pleaded guilty to 3 counts of preparing and filing false income tax returns, has part the Commercegate investigation.

Brown died on one of international trade missions, when the government plane crashed into a mountainside in Croatia on April 3, 1996.

The final report by independent counsel Daniel Pearson, reported: "My office's investigation of Secretary Brown ended unfinished with his death. The unfinished state of the investigation and considerations of fairness preclude our office from drawing conclusions about the allegations regarding possible criminal conduct by the Secretary."

[edit] References

^ Frieden, Terry. "Ex-Ron Brown Partner Claims Clintons Backed 'Sale' Of Trade Seats", CNN.com, 1998-03-23.
^ Memorandum Opinion Judicial Watch vs. Department of Commerce, page 14 (PDF). U.S. District Court (2006-04-14). Archived from the original on 2005-03-23.

[edit] Ext. Link and Ref.

[1] NY Times After Judge's Rebuke, Commerce Secretary Widens Inquiry Into Mishandling of Papers January 3, 1999, National Desk Late Edition - Final, Section 1, Page 20, Column 1
[2] CNN, ALLPOLITICS, Independent Counsel: No Conclusions On Brown Probe Nov. 14, 1994
[3] NY Times, National News Briefs; Official's Partner Pleads Guilty to Tax Charges February 2, 1999