Posted on 01/18/2006 9:46:26 PM PST by Aussie Dasher
The long-awaited final report by Independent Counsel David Barrett, to be released today, was severely censored by court order but not enough to sufficiently obscure its importance. As long forecast, it alleges serious corruption in the Clinton administration's Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The question is what was contained in 120 pages removed by the judges.
These allegations explain why Barrett finally has closed down after 10 years the last prosecution under the lapsed independent counsel statute. Its target, Henry Cisneros, long ago resigned as secretary of Housing and Urban Development in a plea bargain after admitting he lied to FBI interrogators to gain Senate confirmation. What kept Barrett in business was what he and his prosecutors contend is a Clinton administration cover-up of income tax evasion charges against Cisneros.
Not only Barrett's stubbornness but also a tip from an IRS whistle-blower in San Antonio, Texas, meant the case did not end with Cisneros's personal disgrace. But for now, the cover-up has succeeded. No tax prosecution was brought against Cisneros, and IRS conduct has not been questioned. Friends describe Barrett, a Republican lawyer from Washington, as feeling at age 68 that he has failed fully to uncover the scandal and that it is now up to Congress to get out the truth.
This probably would have been just another undiscovered scandal had the whistle not been blown by John J. Filan, chief of the IRS's Criminal Investigation Division in the South Texas District. In a March 31, 1997, memo, Filan expressed outrage that the IRS chief counsel's office in Washington on Jan. 15 had pulled a tax evasion case out of San Antonio because it required "centralized review." Told to "box up" his evidence and send it to Washington, Filan wrote: "I am not aware of any other criminal tax cases that have been pulled from experienced District Counsel attorneys."
With the case now in Washington, the IRS declined to prosecute. In a second memo on April 25, Filan said IRS Assistant Chief Counsel Barry Finkelstein's conclusions "are just plain wrong." Payments to Cisneros's former mistress and money spent for other purposes exceeded declared income, said the whistle-blower, and "clearly proves Cisneros knowingly and willingly signed and filed false and fraudulent income tax returns" for 1991, 1992 and 1993.
That launched Barrett on four frustrating years of attempting tax evasion prosecution in the face of Attorney General Janet Reno's obstructions. Permitted by Reno to focus on only one year, the independent counsel could not make the case of extended tax evasion.
According to people with access to Barrett's draft, it goes into intense detail about this obstruction and on the unprecedented seizure of the Cisneros tax case by the IRS in Washington. That much in the 400-page report has survived the three senior federal appellate judges with supervising authority over the independent counsel.
Nevertheless, the question remains what three judges -- David Sentelle (D.C.), Thomas Reavley (Texas) and Peter Fay (Florida) -- blacked out in 120 pages worth of redactions. Even after the report is released, Barrett and his lawyers would face judicial sanctions if they disclosed anything that was redacted.
The three judges have lawyer-like arguments in favor of suppressing so much material. For example, they claim the Barrett report on Cisneros should not contain evidence that was collected after the plea bargain with Cisneros.
However, the judges have established an exception, or rather 535 exceptions, to the rule that nobody can see what has been redacted. Any member of Congress can read it merely by asking. Any such lawmaker, who believes American taxpayers should see the product of $23 million in expenditures, presumably could then publish the material without fear of legal sanction.
But will any senator or House member do it? Nobody is interested in further prosecution of Henry Cisneros, an exceptional public figure who might well have become the first Hispanic-American governor of Texas and perhaps even president of the United States. Rather, an unredacted Barrett report is an opportunity to observe how the Internal Revenue Service decides when to prosecute, a place where Congress until now has feared to venture.
Democrat Culture of Corruption!!!
Henry Cisneros, an exceptional public figure ?
Bob, he's just another crook and Clintonoid in my book..
get over trying to be 'Fair and Balanced' already..
Bump for later reading.
This makes me sick. 120 pages of censored information?
So much for accountability from Congress and our nation's leaders.
About time Bob Novak remember which side he is on. See this yet Rod?
One of many!!
Gee, this report reads exactly the same way as the New York Times' version of the story.
YES! SEE THE DRUDGE REPORT -- it seems that another BIG scandal involving both Clintons may be breaking!
For the 45th time the Klintoons escape any prosecution. You know they have the contacts with the REAL people that control the world. Watch out because here comes the Hildabeast.
That's the plan.
I'll take stories you won't hear about in the MSM for $1,000.
A little more info would be nice.
I can see the MSM jumping all over it. /sarcasm
OKAY....time to start calling, faxing and harassing our Congress people.
Can't we start a petition? I am sure we can generate enough signatures to make some noise. Send it to the Senate or the house.
Tancredo would probably welcome the opportunity.
Novak is a registered Democrat.
Sentelle and Fay appointed and oversaw -- and kept running -- Ken Starr.
bttt
Somebody is going to have to pick up my slack. My Congress people are:
Chuck Schumer
Hillary Clinton
Nita Lowey (the Congresswoman who "stepped aside" so that Hillary could run for the Senate)
And here's a reference to some more 'questionable' connections (see FR thread below: Clintons In Hollywood Hot Water - Thanks to the Private Eye to the Stars... Anthony Pellicano). For those that may be interested, I did a search on msn and Tony has quite an 'interesting' background and client list - fairly extensive listing of clients, cases, etc.
From the Web site: "A comprehensive free database to references on Anthony Pellicano, incarcerated "P.I. to the Stars" & his celebrity clients."
He started in Chicago in 1974 under the name Tony Fortune
Here's 1 excerpt from the Web site:
2000: Allegations were made that Anthony Pellicano, a veteran military-intelligence officer and so-called “Gumshoe to the Stars,” had staked out Nicole Simpson’s house. "Pellicano has more mob connections than J. Edgar Hoover". He was hired by Howard Weitzman in the John DeLorean case, his first assignment upon moving to Los Angeles in 1983 . In 1976 he resigned under fire from the Illinois Law Enforcement Commission after local newspapers publicized the $30,000 loan he’d received from Paul “the Waiter” Ricca, the son of mob boss Paul de Lucia – the Godfather of Pellicano’s daughters ...Donald Re, Pellicano's attorney (a former law partner of Howard Weitzman) also represented A.C.Cowlings, a friend of O.J. Simpson and an employee of well known Mafia mogul, Joey Ippolito.
http://anthonypellicanoweblinks.com
"Any member of Congress can read it merely by asking. Any such lawmaker, who believes American taxpayers should see the product of $23 million in expenditures, presumably could then publish the material without fear of legal sanction."
Is there one congressperson with the courage to finally expose the real Clintons ..??
I guess we'll find out! Guess it's time to start writing letters and sending emails to see if we can unearth that certain person. I think we can!!
After all .. we spent $23 million - we have a right to know what's in the report. 120 pages is way too much to hide.
Tax Reform PING!
Don't hold your breath altho' if any member of Congress can indeed see the entire report, as stated, then it will of course be in the public domain PDQ.
Ping-a-ling
Cisneros is from TEXAS, the home of TOM DELAY!!!!!
Yeah, well mine are Patty (Osama) Murray and Mary Cantwell, and Adam Smith....not much better....BUT, we can call the LEADERSHIP in the House and Senate and demand our money's worth! I recommend FAXING....that way they HAVE to SEE it....email is worthless, and phone calling not much better....PLUS I'm returning ALL solicitations from Republicans with "NO $$ until you RELEASE THE FULL BARRET REPORT" written all over it
Well then, it is up to us freepers to get a copy of the uncensored report and publish it here. I am appalled that Cisneros has still not paid his back taxes. The MSM ignoring the story would have bothered me at one time. This site proves I can get the info anyways. Screw em.
bttt
Perhaps a Repub Congresscritter should get a copy of the redacted portion of the report, and anonymously leak it to the NYTimes!!
Problem is, it would still remain burried. Might get a one day mention on page 10.
If Barrett really is 68, he should forget about his legal career here and do the right thing. He would be more remembered for taking a principled stand than for being judicially sanctioned. After all, he'd be in the same boat as our "Greatest Ever President", wouldn't he?
Thanks for the ping!
Hard to believe there isn't a clean copy somewhere that will find its way on to the 'net.
MSM could (wouldn't) quote from an internet source, not the document.
They do it easy enough if it's anti-conservative.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/19/politics/19inquire.html?ei=5065&en=25e2d365821f3ec5&ex=1138338000&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print
This may be what tlsink is talking about. Not sure. At any rate, if anyone from the Clinton admin. takes the fall, it will probably be Janet Reno. She the only one (from what I can tell) who is totally expendable right now. Everyone else will be needed for the 2008 run.
Do they have the full unredacted report?
The result of trying to cover it up is this report, and I bet the crusty Beast has every single one of her FBI files out there threatening a release unless the 120 pages remains redacted.
There has to be at least one Repub that her files can't touch!
If this information is good enough, it'll make it to the light of day, but maybe not until the Beast is in full Dem nomination campaign mode.
TRANSLATION: Another cover up successfully comleted!
What! Corruption in the Clinton years? Another illusion shattered. (Sarcasm Off)
Tsk, Tsk ... corruption in both the Billybob administration AND the IRS at the same time??? Who'd'a thunk it???
Yes! In the spirit of open and transparent government, we dedicate the release of the unredacted Barrett report to you, Hilary Clinton!
I am beginning to think the "The Republican Party is a Culture of Corruption" mantra was planned with this and other investigations in mind. They get corrupt Ronnie Earle to indict Tom DeLay, they knew the Abramoff exposure was coming, and there may be some other things in the works (Slick Willie has been looking sick for a long time now) so if they blast the Republicans loud enough and long enough they hope that the worst that will happen to them is "They All Do It!" They know the truth is coming out about them so they want to smear as many Republicans as they can to offset it.
COEXERJ145: "I'll take "Stories you won't hear in
the MSM" for $1000." "
TREBEK: "Wouldn't you prefer "POTENT LATINOS"
for $200?"
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