Time: Fri Jul 25 14:49:52 1997 by primenet.com (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id OAA03902 for [address in tool bar]; Fri, 25 Jul 1997 14:06:42 -0700 (MST) by usr07.primenet.com (8.8.5/8.8.5) with SMTP id NAA20901; Fri, 25 Jul 1997 13:58:37 -0700 (MST) Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 13:58:03 -0700 To: (Recipient list suppressed) From: Paul Andrew Mitchell [address in tool bar] Subject: SLS: "MUTUAL DISGUST WITH THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT" (fwd) <snip> > >With Bipartisan Impatience, Senate Panel Immunizes Buddhist Nuns > > By Guy Gugliotta > Washington Post Staff Writer > Thursday, July 24, 1997; Page > A09 > The Washington Post > > Republicans and Democrats > holding Senate hearings on > campaign finances have spent > much of their time grappling for > partisan advantage, but yesterday > their mutual disgust with the > Justice Department finally > brought them together. > > Ignoring the department's > opposition, the Governmental > Affairs Committee voted > comfortably to grant immunity > from prosecution to five minor > figures in the investigation of > fund-raising abuses in the 1996 > Clinton reelection campaign. > > Committee Chairman Fred D. > Thompson (R-Tenn.) summed up > the frustration of Republicans > who have sought for six weeks to > immunize as many as 18 > witnesses, the vast majority of > them alleged "straw donors" who > were given large sums of money > by third parties to contribute to > the Democratic National > Committee. > > The committee had tried to > ensure that the Justice > Department was not planning to > prosecute the witnesses, > Thompson said, but Justice > refused to make up its mind. > > "They have told us they cannot > tell us whether or not they might > be [prosecuted] in the future," > Thompson said, and this wasn't > good enough: "I don't think we > can accede to that kind of > response in view of our own > responsibilities." > > For the first time, substantial > numbers of Democrats agreed > with him. "We are now in an > impossible position in . . . our > dealings with the Department of > Justice," said Sen. Richard J. > Durbin (D-Ill.). A meeting with > Justice lawyers Monday "was not > in any way helpful in terms of > making this decision." > > The committee voted 15 to 1 to > grant immunity to four Buddhist > nuns who were reimbursed for > contributions they made to the > Democratic National Committee > at a temple fund-raiser in > California attended by Vice > President Gore in April 1996. > > The committee also voted 13 to 3 > to grant immunity to Keshi Zhan, > a Virginia woman allegedly used > as a "pass-through" donor by > Democratic fund-raiser Charles > Yah Lin Trie. The Senate > committee in late June granted > immunity to four other low-level > witnesses when the Justice > Department did not enter any > objections. > > Efforts to immunize the five > witnesses had stalled for weeks, > with Justice Department lawyers > unable to say whether they might > prosecute some of them for > crimes or use the threat of > prosecution to leverage their > testimony against others. > > A Justice official said last night > that the department opposed the > grants of immunity to the five > prospective witnesses "because > we want to preserve the right of > prosecution." > > Yesterday's proceedings began > inauspiciously when Sen. Joseph > I. Lieberman (D-Conn.), who had > bucked his Democratic > colleagues in the past to support > Republican immunity initiatives, > mentioned that he shared the > Justice Department's misgivings > and announced that he would not > vote for immunity this time. > > Immunity "effectively forecloses > the successful prosecution" of a > witness, Lieberman said, and the > witnesses' "value to us is not so > significant that it justifies what > this immunity will do to the > criminal proceedings." > > In the committee's recent stormy > history, a reversal by a former > ally usually has signaled a major > misunderstanding and the onset > of a partisan brawl, but > Thompson, whose acerbic > Tennessee drawl has sometimes > fanned conflagration into bonfire, > showed restraint. > > Tension beset the committee, but > only briefly. Sen. Carl M. Levin > (D-Mich.), a fierce partisan, said > he planned to vote for immunity > and only wanted to know whether > the committee could rescind it if > Justice came up with better > reasons. > > Yes, said Thompson, and the > tension deflated. > > ) Copyright 1997 The Washington Post Company > > >-> Send "subscribe snetnews " to majordomo@world.std.com >-> Posted by: kalliste@aci.net (J. Orlin Grabbe) > > > ======================================================================== Paul Andrew Mitchell : Counselor at Law, federal witness B.A., Political Science, UCLA; M.S., Public Administration, U.C. Irvine tel: (520) 320-1514: machine; fax: (520) 320-1256: 24-hour/day-night email: [address in tool bar] : using Eudora Pro 3.0.3 on 586 CPU website: http://www.supremelaw.com : visit the Supreme Law Library now ship to: c/o 2509 N. Campbell, #1776 : this is free speech, at its best Tucson, Arizona state : state zone, not the federal zone Postal Zone 85719/tdc : USPS delays first class w/o this As agents of the Most High, we came here to establish justice. We shall not leave, until our mission is accomplished and justice reigns eternal. ======================================================================== [This text formatted on-screen in Courier 11, non-proportional spacing.]
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