Posted on 07/26/2002 6:31:26 PM PDT by GeneD
WASHINGTON, July 26 Bill and Hillary Clinton are asking the government to reimburse them for about $3.5 million in legal fees stemming from the independent counsel investigation of the Whitewater land deal, ABCNEWS has learned.
The Clintons racked up about $11 million in legal bills for Whitewater and other investigations during their time in the White House. Their legal defense fund paid about $7 million. So, if their request for reimbursement is successful, the Clintons would end up paying very little out of pocket themselves. Under the law, those who are investigated but not indicted have the right to seek reimbursement if they can prove they would not have been targeted but for the Office of Independent Counsel Act.
"As explicitly authorized by the statute, and following the precedent set by Presidents Reagan and Bush, the Clintons have applied for reimbursement of their legal fees incurred in connection with the independent counsel's Whitewater investigation," Clinton lawyer David Kendall whose own law firm is owed money said in a statement.
Both Presidents Reagan and George Bush, father of the current president, had some legal fees reimbursed stemming from the Iran-Contra probe.
Independent Counsel Found No Wrongdoing
The massive Whitewater inquiry was launched in 1994 to investigate the Clintons' role in an Arkansas real estate venture dating to the 1970s. In September 2000, Independent Counsel Robert Ray the third independent counsel to head the inquiry filed a report clearing the Clintons of any criminal wrongdoing in Whitewater.
After leaving office, Hillary Clinton, now a New York senator, signed an $8 million book deal. Her husband, who reportedly makes $15 million a year from speaking engagements, later scored a $10 million book deal.
Attorney General John Ashcroft and the current independent counsel will be consulted before a decision on reimbursing the Clintons is made.
Converted into metric 1 ounce is 31.1 gram. Way to much in my oppinion. How about They don't have not 1 gram of shame? Which converts to 0.03527 ounce
Idiots, who else?
Some snippets:
The Independent Counsel statute provides that
Upon the request of an individual who is the subject of an investigation conducted by an independent counsel pursuant to this chapter, the division of the court may, if no indictment is brought against such individual pursuant to that investigation, award reimbursement for those reasonable attorneys' fees incurred by that individual during that investigation which would not have been incurred but for the requirements of this chapter.. . . Accordingly, in order to obtain an attorneys' fees award under the statute, a petitioner must show that all of the following requirements are met:
1) the petitioner is a "subject" of the investigation;. . .2) the fees were incurred "during" the investigation;
3) the fees would not have been incurred "but for" the requirements of the Act; and
4) the fees are "reasonable."
B. Fees Not Incurred "But For" the Requirements of the Act
We have previously established that "[a]ll requests for attorneys' fees under the Act must satisfy the 'but for' requirement." . . . And we have repeatedly held that "[t]he most difficult element for a fee applicant to establish under the Act is that the fees 'would not have been incurred but for the requirements of [the Act].'" . . . In order to establish eligibility for an award, the fee applicant must show that the amounts claimed are only those fees and expenses above and beyond those she would have incurred as a result of an investigation by the DOJ. . .
If the investigative act generating the defensive costs would, in the absence of the Act, have been pursued by other authorities--'had the case been handled by the Department of Justice or other executive authorities rather than the Independent Counsel'--then Congress did not contemplate the award of counsel fees. . .
From a reporter who's last name is Clymer
The poor Liberal Clintons need to feed on the Public teat funded by the over-taxed middle class. Cannot deprive the Clintons who are are trying to make a go of life with their measly tens of millions per year. They really need it because they came into office with nothing.
These two scumbuckets need to be deported and that without recourse!
Bush to Cheney while a live mike was on:
"That's Adam Clymer of the New York Times. He's a world class asshole".
Cheney to Bush: "He sure is."
Adam Clymer's legacy; sure to be footnoted in various-and-sundry history books for the ages to see.
(Checking....checking....) Yep! They are the same sickening scumbags, awrighty!
Well, it's like this; we can't trust you with the money. You probably wouldn't spend it as wisely as the government. Besides, would you want some social program to suffer, because of your greed? I mean, can we afford to pay you, part of the top 1% of the country, that much money?
DITTO ! man DITTO !!!!
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