Posted on 01/27/2003 4:45:49 AM PST by Liz
Martha Stewart, the Queen of Nice?
Martha Stewart insists she has "never not been nice to anybody" - and she doesn't understand why people take such delight in her insider trading troubles. Speaking out for the first time since the scandal broke in June, Stewart sounded bitter and frustrated about the dramatic reversal in her public image.
"That I have been turned into or vilified openly as something other than what I really am has been confusing," Stewart, 61, told the New Yorker for an article in its issue out today. "I mean, we've produced a lot of good stuff for a lot of good people. And to be maligned for that is kind of weird."
The embattled entrepreneur also revealed that one person who had come to her support was Sen. Hillary Clinton.
"Look at her ups and downs," Stewart said. "And she was one of the first people to call me ... and very nicely say, 'You know, you just have to hang in there. It's the process.'"
Stewart - who sources say sent her lawyers to plead with federal prosecutors last week not to file criminal charges against her - attributed her problems with the public to jealousy she thinks some Americans feel at her success.
"I've had a real long way up - along the way my heels being bitten at for various reasons, maybe perfectionism or exactitude or something," she told Jeffrey Toobin, the magazine's legal correspondent. "And now I've had a long way down."
She said she was appalled by the idea, suggested by some, that she should have been nicer to people on the way to the top. "I've never not been nice to anybody," Stewart insisted.
Thin is in
Perhaps the strangest moment in the interview came when Toobin admired the fancy silver chopsticks he and Stewart used to eat homemade Szechuan chicken at her Connecticut mansion.
"You know, in China they say, 'The thinner the chopsticks, the higher the social status.' Of course, I got the thinnest I could find," said Stewart, who was born Martha Kostyra and grew up in working-class Nutley, N.J. "That's why people hate me."
She also vented about the unflattering photographs that have become a staple of newspaper coverage of her story. "I'm a pretty photogenic person, I mean, and they manage to find the doozies," she said.
But she claimed the near-nightly razzing she gets from late-night TV hosts doesn't bother her. "My buddies: Dave [Letterman], Jay [Leno], Conan [O'Brien]. I miss the fun. They have a job to do, they can comment on anybody in a playful way," she said.
Stewart has been under the gun since it was learned that on Dec. 27, 2001, she sold $228,000 worth of ImClone Systems stock and avoided a loss of $45,000 when the stock later plunged.
The Daily News reported exclusively on Saturday that Stewart sent her lawyers to plead with prosecutors to spare her from criminal charges.
Prosecutors are close to deciding whether to file insider trading charges against her for allegedly selling the stock on a tip from a pal, ImClone founder Sam Waksal.
Waksal pleaded guilty to telling his daughter Aliza and father, Jack, about the impending freefall of the stock, which came after news broke that the government was about to shoot down the company's anti-cancer drug.
Stewart and Waksal have both been major donors to the Democratic Party and the political campaigns of both Hillary and former President Bill Clinton.
Hillary Clinton strongly backed Waksal's other daughter, Elana Posner, in her failed 2001 run for New York City Council.
In thanking Hillary Clinton during the interview, Stewart talked about her admiration for how the ex-First Lady and her husband handled themselves during their own scandals.
In fact, Stewart called Hillary Clinton a role model for her own planned comeback.
"First Lady, knocked to death and now senator," she said. "She's smart, she's worthy, she's great. You know, that's what I hope I'll be thought of as."
Stewart declined to discuss specifics of her case but did say she has lost an estimated $400 million since the scandal broke, mostly through declining value of her Martha Stewart Omnimedia stock.
Michael Milken the BI+C#, IMHO...MUD
Great book, IMHO...who do I owe it too again, FTH?!
LOL...MUD
BTW...Grampa Dave, you interested in becoming a CelebrityJudge?! I've got one--possibly two--openings!!
Second time around, Clintons were up against Bob Dole who was the worst candidate ever - he even fudged his pro-life position which is certain disaster for a candidate.
Not in the least...MUD
BTW..."what is a Celebrity Judge?!"
Yer fellow CelebrityJudges can fill ya in, my FRiend.
Dittoes...MUD
Holy Joe.
Martha and the HildaBeast Sittin' in a Tree...K-I-S-S-I-N-G!!
Martha Stewart and the Clintons are PeasInAPod, IMHO...MUD
SlickWillie FOOLS, you make US fight...
Right ain't gonna lose this feeling!!
And if I could choose...a rage to ignite...
It would be 'gainst YOU, Bubba!!!!
Do you wanna help MUD Dethrone Left's Whore?!! Do You?!!
Are ya gonna FReep Slick ev'ry time ya can?!
I dare ya!! DO IT!! 'Cuz...
We can't let Slick git away!!
Right must Indict Left's Sleaze!!
We can't let Clinton Sanction RAPE!!
In their hearts, Libs don't like RAPE!!
Left's all Wrong, but We're ALL Right!!
The Nation's still healthy, Patriots!! Ahh-hmmmm...
RightWing is Strong, and We'll Win The Fight!!
RATScum best git usedta LOSIN'!!
Do you wanna help MUD Dethrone Left's Whore?!! Do You?!!
Are ya gonna FReep Slick ev'ry time ya can?!
I dare ya!! DO IT!! 'Cuz...
We can't let Slick git away!!
Right must Indict Left's Sleaze!!
We can't let Clinton Sanction RAPE!!
In their hearts, Libs don't like RAPE!!
(Purty jammin' by TheBigMan)
Do you wanna help MUD Dethrone Left's Whore?!! Do You?!!
Are ya gonna FReep Slick ev'ry time ya can?!
I dare ya!! DO IT!! 'Cuz...
We can't let Slick git away!!
Right must Indict Left's Sleaze!!
We can't let Clinton Sanction RAPE!!
In their hearts, Libs don't like RAPE!!
SlickWillieFOOLS, tell Slick "Good-Bye!!"
We're surely gonna FReep as "FRiends"...
And when we do, don't act surprised...
When you hear Slick loves his CellMateBuggerin'!! OOOH!!
Do you wanna help MUD Dethrone Left's Whore?!! Do You?!!
Are ya gonna FReep Slick ev'ry time ya can?!
I dare ya!! DO IT!! 'Cuz...
We can't let Slick git away!!
Right must Indict Left's Sleaze!!
We can't let Clinton Sanction RAPE!!
In their hearts, Left don't like RAPE!!
We can't let Clinton Sanction RAPE!!
In their hearts, RATS don't like RAPE!!
Mudboy Slim
BTW...Bill Clinton Shall Be Dethroned When Leftist RATS Reject His Faux Populism!!
Until then, the DemonRAT Party will continue to IMPLODE!!!
RE-IMPEACH. CONVICT. DETHRONE.
DISBAR. DE-PENSION. DE-LEGITIMIZE.
INDICT. CONVICT. IMPRISON. DISCARD KEY.
Quite Sincerely...MUD
1 posted on 11/20/2002 5:45 AM EST by Mudboy Slim
Poor Martha was just one of life's lottery winners and she supports so many good causes.
I hear Martha being called a strong woman, she isn't strong, just a bossy @itch.
I told my wife that we will not buy anything Martha-related, no matter what the quality/value.
Any dollar spent on Martha's items replaces money that went to fund the Clintons corruption.
Thank you, my FRiend...lookin' forward to my tequila shots...LOL!!
FReegards...MUD
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