(Larry) Klayman to enter Florida Senate race Tuesday

HillNews ^ | 9/23/03

[areafiftyone]

Legal gadfly Larry Klayman has resigned as chairman of Judicial Watch to seek the Republican Senate nomination in Florida.

He has contacted GOP consultants to enlist their services for his forthcoming primary campaign, well-placed sources said. His formal announcement is scheduled for Tuesday in Tampa.

Klayman, whose conservative legal foundation that has been a perpetual thorn in the sides of politicians of all stripes, has sued almost everyone from presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton to Osama bin Laden.

Judicial Watch, which Klayman founded in 1994, would not comment yesterday on the candidacy or resignation, and the potential candidate himself was traveling and could not be reached. “He’s in an undisclosed location,” said a spokeswoman. “I honestly don’t know his whereabouts now.”

A new website, klaymansenate.com, went online yesterday. It quoted Klayman, who has communted between Miami and Washington for nearly a decade, as saying: “As a conservative, I pledge to never tire in defense of our faith, our liberty, and our freedom.”

Although the sources said he resigned from Judicial Watch over the weekend, the organization’s website still listed him late yesterday as its chairman and general counsel.

Klayman’s entry into the already crowded Florida race caught Republican officials by surprise.

“I don’t know who he is, I’ve never met him, he hasn’t called me, he hasn’t tried to contact the party,” said Jeffrey Becker, director of the Republican Party of Florida. “The main claim to fame I’ve heard is that he tried to sue the president and the vice president. So that’s not exactly a way to engender goodwill on the Republican side. It’s just rather odd.”

Equally surprised was the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), which responded coolly.

“We have a strong field in Florida with people like [State Senator Daniel] Webster, [former Rep. Bill] McCollum, [Rep. Dave] Weldon and [State House speaker] Johnnie Byrd who are experienced leaders in that state,” said Dan Allen, NRSC communications director. “We’re comfortable where we are now knowing that Florida has the potential to be a real competitive race.”

With a seemingly inexhaustible armory of lawsuits, official complaints and Freedom of Information requests, Klayman’s Judicial Watch has zealously pursued politicians for alleged malfeasance.

Initially, the good-governance crusade was aimed at the Clinton administration. The topics he pursued included the circumstances surrounding the death of deputy White House counsel Vince Foster, the administration’s fundraising practices, and the former president’s philandering.

With the arrival of the Bush administration, Klayman broadened his sights to include Republicans. In addition to bin Laden and the Senate as a whole, Klayman has pursued Dick Cheney over his ties to Halliburton, which he headed before becoming vice president, and the House and Senate fundraising committees over allegedly selling access to public officials.

Most of Klayman’s high-profile suits and complaints have been dismissed, and his litigious trigger-finger has not endeared him to GOP congressional leaders, the administration, the party’s affiliates — indeed, Republicans in general.

The NRSC was coy about whether Klayman’s legal confrontations with the GOP would undermine Republican support for his candidacy in the event that he won the primary.

“I think ultimately that’s going to be a question that he’s going to have to answer if he does decide to jump into that race,” said Allen.

Klayman now faces a number of challenges. “Given some of the things he’s done, particularly in a Republican primary and with the president’s popularity, he’ll have some explaining to do,” said Republican consultant Dave Winston of the Winston Group.

Klayman has never held political office at the state or federal level. By contrast, the four of GOP candidates have extensive experience and strong grassroots networks. Given Judicial Watch’s considerable donor base, Klayman is expected to have adequate funds.

Sources say Klayman’s campaign plans to emphasize his opposition to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, casting him as the antidote to the liberal New York Democrat.

In the wake of the Elian Gonzales affair, Klayman has taken a number of legal and publicity actions on behalf of Cuban Americans, a powerful political constituency in Miami.

[M. Peach]

You obviously do not know HLL and her history here. You couldn't be more off target....

[Impy]

We don't need a Bush-Hating "PaleoCon" in the Senate.

As if he could win the primary....or the general.

[Impy]

For real? What kind of a-hole would sue his own mother?

Did he win the suit?

[Yeti]

With a seemingly inexhaustible armory of lawsuits, official complaints and Freedom of Information requests, Klayman’s Judicial Watch has zealously pursued politicians for alleged malfeasance.

Klayman reminds me of Marc Racicot. Anyone remember the big brainwashing and child sex slave ring they busted in his home state while he was governor, with all the videotape and all? He published an open letter, "...investigation will proceed cautiously, as it appears to involve high-ranking public officials. There is no double meaing to this letter." I don't remember any high-ranking official doing time for anything, but Racicot's next job was head of the RNC. Go figure.

And Kalyman -- he never achieves anything significant, but by taking legal action, he prevents others from taking legal action and makes a good living for himself.

[Princeliberty]

I simply was pointing out that as Hillary critic
quoting an article that was attacking Klayman
and was done in defense of Clinton is no way
to go.

That article was simply a Clinton defense piece
of garbage.

[Shoreratte]

I, too, supported Klayman for a while. But, I became very uncomfortable about him as time went on. I agree with Miss Marple:

"Mark my words, he is going to screw up the primary, and file lawsuits against Jeb Bush. He is not a friend of Republicans, as I am sure you agree."

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

So you quote form Clinton's defenders to attack
Klayman. And so you agree the Clinton were ok
and they certainly were going after their
enemies and abusing power.

So I guess you must really think Hillary has
lovely legs think.
Your probably all excited at her running for President.

First of all, there is something wrong with the settings on your computer. Your sentences are all cut off and it reads like a poem.

The article I posted is from Newsweek. Sorry if it exposes truth about Klayman. It's well known that the man is all hat and no cattle.

It also states why Klayman sued his mother. It wasn't to protect her, it was to get his money back for paying for his grandmother's care. You would think that a man who has raked in $75million in donations would be able to find the funds to pay for the nursing care of his own family.

Klayman is not the darling of the right. You do realized that he tried to sue George W Bush for not coming to his debate. Like Bush would ever give Klayman the time of day!!

And he has sued Cheney and Rumsfeld. Great guy, this Larry. Nothing made me laugh more than at the White House Press Corps dinner where Larry tried to weasel his way into every camera shot. He tried to nuzzle up to Aschroft's party and they all turned their backs on him. He even did a little lurking behind Dana Delany. It was comic relief.

As far as me supporting a Clinton or Hillary, you attempt at humor is beyond lame.

[Princeliberty]

I just type my postings out like that for the fun of it.

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

They aren't fun. They are very difficult to read.