Interesting developments - The Orange Mane

defenseman · 09-07-2007, 10:02 AM

Court to Hear Other Hillary Fundraising Case

Friday, September 7, 2007 9:41 AM

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Written by Fred Lucas, CNSNews.com Staff Writer

Barely a week after questions emerged about suspicious donations to Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, a three-judge panel in California will hear arguments Friday regarding an illegal fundraising event from her 2000 Senate campaign.

The California Court of Appeals, Second Appellate District, will hear arguments about whether Clinton, a New York senator and leading Democratic presidential candidate, should be a defendant in a lawsuit brought by Hollywood mogul Peter Paul.

Attorneys for each side will also debate the inclusion of a videotape as evidence -- a video in which Clinton can be heard apparently agreeing to plan a fundraiser, which was later determined to be illegal by the Federal Elections Commission (FEC).

The appeals court, made of two Democratic appointees and one Republican appointee, will issue a ruling within 90 days.

Paul's legal counsel, the United States Justice Foundation (USJF), filed a brief in July. It said the videotape "captures the very commission of a crime, namely, that of knowingly soliciting, coordinating and accepting federal campaign contributions far in excess of the legal limit of $2,000."

Clinton's attorney filed a brief in response that claimed the tape is "pure fantasy" and "much ado about nothing."

Paul is appealing a California Superior Court ruling that dismissed Hillary Clinton from an earlier lawsuit under a statute that protects politicians from harassing or frivolous lawsuits. Paul's legal team argues the statute does not apply to a political figure who violates the law.

"We will accomplish what Ken Starr wasn't able to achieve," Paul told Cybercast News Service, referring to the independent counsel who investigated several Clinton scandals in the 1990s. "We have three judges reviewing Hillary Clinton's illegal conduct. Presidential candidates have never been forced to defend themselves in court from being a felon."

Paul is suing Sen. Clinton, former President Bill Clinton, and others. Paul claims that their actions cost him his multi-million dollar Internet venture, of which he was a majority owner, along with comic book icon Stan Lee.

Paul contends that in exchange for producing the fundraising event, President Clinton agreed to work as a rainmaker for the company after leaving the White House. Paul said the former president reneged on the agreement, causing investors to pull their money out of the company.

Clinton attorney David Kendall could not be reached for comment.

Paul wants to force the New York senator to testify in the case. Paul spent about $2 million to produce a star-studded August 2000 fundraiser that included Cher, Diana Ross, Brad Pitt, Sugar Ray and other Hollywood celebrities.

After failing to properly report the money raised, the Clinton Senate campaign had to pay a $35,000 fine to the FEC. Clinton's campaign finance director, David Rosen, was accused of lying to the FEC. He was indicted but eventually acquitted.

"Everything I complained about in 2001, and she denied, was supported in the Rosen trial and the FEC," Paul said. "Only her direct knowledge continues to be denied, and the tape contradicts that. Hillary's obstruction is worse than Nixon's obstruction in Watergate."

Over the last six years Clinton's staff said she played no role in planning the fundraiser. Yet the videotape shows Paul, Lee, and movie director Aaron Tonkin speaking with Hillary Clinton on speakerphone as she expresses enthusiasm about the event and telling Paul to contact her aide any time to further plan details.

If Clinton helped to plan the event, it could legally constitute a direct hard money donation to her Senate campaign, rather than to her joint fundraising committee, "New York Senate 2000."

If that is the case, the donation from Paul would be more than a thousand times the legal limit for an individual donation. Knowingly soliciting an individual contribution of $25,000 or more is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

At one point on the tape Tonkin said the celebrities are "coming out in full force knowing this is for your Senate race, it's unbelievable." Clinton replied, "I'm just thrilled. I'll check in with you from time to time because I know that putting something like this together is challenging even when people are enthusiastic and looking forward to doing it."

Clinton also says on the tape that Paul and her campaign aide Kelly Craighead "talk all the time, so she'll be the person to convey whatever I need."

Clinton's attorneys, in a brief, said, "The videotape shows that Senator Clinton is gracious to her supporters, that she has a sense of humor, and nothing more."

That fails to explain why Clinton instructed Paul to talk to one of her top aides, and why Clinton said on the tape that she contacted Cher about performing at the fundraiser, Paul's attorney D. Colette Wilson of the USJF said in an interview.

Cybercast News Service first reported the existence of the tape in April.

In a written declaration for the California court filed on April 7, 2006, Clinton said that she did not remember discussions with Paul about the fundraiser.

"I have no recollection whatsoever of discussing any arrangement with him whereby he would support my campaign for the United States Senate in exchange for anything from me or then-President Clinton," Clinton wrote. "I do not believe I would make such a statement because I believe I would remember such a discussion if it had occurred."

Even if the appeals court excuses Sen. Clinton, the lawsuit will still continue.

The lower court that excused the former first lady allowed the case to move forward against Bill Clinton and Clinton associate Jim Levin and producer Gary Smith, both involved in the planning of the fundraiser. That means, Paul said, Hillary Clinton will likely be called as a material witness.

Last week, after reports that one of Clinton's largest contributors, Norman Hsu, was a fugitive convicted of grand theft in 1991 in California, she gave $23,000 that Hsu directly donated to her present and past campaigns to charity.

However, she did not discard the more that $1 million that Hsu raised under questionable circumstances. (As this story went to press, Hsu reportedly had failed to turn over his passport to his lawyers and his whereabouts were unknown.)

"It's ironic and cosmic that this is happening the same time as the Hsu scandal," Paul's attorney Wilson said. "At least in that case, she has more plausible deniability, though I can't believe she didn't know. In this case, the charge is that she knowingly solicited Peter Paul to pay for her campaign fundraiser."

© 2007 CNSNews.com. All Rights Reserved

http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/h.../07/30667.html

defenseman · 09-07-2007, 10:05 AM

Of course, then there is this:

Disgraced Dem Donor Arrested in Colorado

Friday, September 7, 2007 7:50 AM

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SAN FRANCISCO -- Disgraced Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu was arrested in Colorado late Thursday after he failed to show up for a court appearance related to a felony theft conviction.

FBI agents took Hsu into custody at St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction, Colo., said FBI spokesman Joseph Schadler.

Hsu had been scheduled to appear in court Wednesday to turn over his passport and ask a judge to cut in half the $2 million bail he posted last week when he turned himself in after spending 15 years on the lam from a felony theft conviction.

Instead, Hsu failed to show up at the bail reduction hearing and a judge issued a new arrest warrant for him.

California Attorney General spokesman Gareth Lacy said Hsu's lawyers told prosecutors Hsu arrived by charter jet at the Oakland airport about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday local time and then wasn't heard from again.

When it became apparent that Hsu had fled the state, California authorities sought the assistance of the FBI, whose agents arrested him Thursday night on charges of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, Schadler said.

Once he is returned to state custody, the federal charges will be dismissed, Schadler said.

Meanwhile, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell became the latest of many Democratic politicians to return or donate to charity Hsu's election contributions.

Rendell had said last week he planned to keep nearly $40,000 of Hsu's money even though he was wanted for failing to appear for sentencing after pleading no contest to a felony charge of bilking investors out of $1 million.

"Though Norman is my friend, and remains so, his failure to appear casts a new light on his assertions regarding the original case," Rendell said in a statement before Hsu's arrest Thursday. "As a result, I will follow other elected officials and donate the money he contributed to me to charity."

New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has said she plans to give to charity the $23,000 in donations she received from Hsu for her presidential and senatorial campaigns and to her political action committee, HillPac.

The growing flap over Hsu's contributions prompted Democratic presidential candidate Chris Dodd to release a statement Thursday vowing "to refuse to accept or possess campaign contributions raised, solicited, or delivered by fugitives from justice."

Hsu has said he believed he had resolved his legal issues, but that he would halt his work raising political money.

© 2007 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/nor.../07/30643.html

Spider · 09-07-2007, 10:30 AM

I am shocked .......... ok not really ........ but whats so interesting about it ?
Hillary case has been going on for awhile now , no new evidence or confessions coming out , just rehashed news , and this other guy I never heard of , but on the run for 15 years ? anyone that can elude law officials that long deserves to get away

defenseman · 09-07-2007, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by §Pide®

I am shocked .......... ok not really ........ but whats so interesting about it ?
Hillary case has been going on for awhile now , no new evidence or confessions coming out , just rehashed news , and this other guy I never heard of , but on the run for 15 years ? anyone that can elude law officials that long deserves to get away

I'm thinking this one could grow some legs and end up on someone's doorstep. But, we'll see. If in reality it is confirmed Hillabroom said what she did and was somehow involved, interested parties will latch on to this and do their level best to catapult it into the spotlight is all I'm saying. Where it ends up, who knows.....dman

*Anyone heard of one of WJC's 'girlfriends' having a manuscript stolen from her home? I guess it was a tell all book on ole slick willy. In any case, nothing else was stolen, just the manuscript. Can't confirm it's truth, just heard it through the grapevine.

Garcia Bronco · 09-07-2007, 10:43 AM

she still needs to answer for Whitewater.

Rohirrim · 09-07-2007, 10:49 AM

"Hollywood mogul Peter Paul"

(from Wikipedia)

The Cuban coffee caper

Peter Paul was a lawyer in Miami, Florida, representing foreign governments and political leaders in South America and the Caribbean. He also served as President of the Miami World Trade Center[3] and was the original owner and operator of the largest[citation needed] Foreign Trade Zone in the U.S., Miami Free Zone Inc.[2] As a result of what Paul described as anti-Communist and anti-Castro political activities,[4] he directed a fraud on the Cuban government of $8.75 million dollars by selling agents of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro nonexistent coffee. The plan apparently also involved sinking the ship that was to deliver the nonexistent coffee to hide the fraud from Castro and, according to TIME Magazine, to defraud its insurer, but the ship was abandoned in Costa Rica and never sunk.[2][5]
Paul pled guilty to conspiring to defraud the Cuban government. When his home was raided by the police in connection with this crime, they found cocaine in his garage, and Paul pled guilty to possessing cocaine with intent to distribute.[2] He was sentenced to eight years in prison for the cocaine charge, and a concurrent three years for fraud; he was paroled after three years. His license to practice law was suspended as a result of the convictions,[6][7] and he claims to have been sued by the Cuban government as well.[4]
In 1983, Paul was caught traveling to Canada under a false identity and pled guilty to federal charges of making false statements to customs inspectors. This was a violation of his parole terms from the 1979 felonies, and he went back to jail.[2]
[edit]Involvement in politics and the entertainment industry

After being released from federal prison in California, Paul moved to Los Angeles. In 1985, he was appointed President of the California Bicentennial Foundation for the Constitution and Bill of Rights, a foundation designated by the California state legislature and governor to direct California's role in the Bicentennial celebration of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.[8] Paul's efforts on behalf of the Foundation were derided in the Los Angeles Times, in part because the commission was selling a book that described blacks as "pickaninnies," and slaveowners as "the worst victims of slavery,"[9] and in part because Paul referred to the founding fathers of the United States as "39 sweaty old men arguing in Philadelphia",[8] and remarked that most Californians weren't able to understand the 18th century language in the constitution anyway.[10] Prior to the Los Angeles Times article, Chief Justice Warren Burger had commended Paul for his efforts in a letter that read in part "We commend you for the many contributions you have made during the national commemoration of the Constitution's 200th anniversary".[11][12]
Paul became a business manager for, or otherwise involved with several celebrities, including becoming manager for a time of romance-novel icon Fabio.[13][14]

Spider · 09-07-2007, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by defenseman

I'm thinking this one could grow some legs and end up on someone's doorstep. But, we'll see. If in reality it is confirmed Hillabroom said what she did and was somehow involved, interested parties will latch on to this and do their level best to catapult it into the spotlight is all I'm saying. Where it ends up, who knows.....dman

*Anyone heard of one of WJC's 'girlfriends' having a manuscript stolen from her home? I guess it was a tell all book on ole slick willy. In any case, nothing else was stolen, just the manuscript. Can't confirm it's truth, just heard it through the grapevine.

John Edwards is happy , he seems to be the unseen leader in the race as far as IOWA and New Hampshire go , and Hillary getting the bad press ......

Rohirrim · 09-07-2007, 10:52 AM

From Sourcewatch

Cybercast News Service (CNS) is a subsidiary of the conservative news monitoring group, the Media Research Center (MRC). Originally calling itself the "Conservative News Service," CNS changed its name to Cybercast in 2000.

defenseman · 09-07-2007, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garcia Bronco

she still needs to answer for Whitewater.

Well without a key player, who magically died in the middle of it, I don't see that going anywhere...dman

defenseman · 09-07-2007, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rohirrim

From Sourcewatch

Cybercast News Service (CNS) is a subsidiary of the conservative news monitoring group, the Media Research Center (MRC). Originally calling itself the "Conservative News Service," CNS changed its name to Cybercast in 2000.

Ok. So that makes the story null and void? I think not. The facts are as they appear from my understanding. Then again, I'll look around and see if anyone else, including the major contributors to the newswire are even carrying a story of this nature and see if I can't get it on here. There has to be something out there, maybe...dman

Rohirrim · 09-07-2007, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by defenseman

Ok. So that makes the story null and void? I think not. The facts are as they appear from my understanding. Then again, I'll look around and see if anyone else, including the major contributors to the newswire are even carrying a story of this nature and see if I can't get it on here. There has to be something out there, maybe...dman

Fabio's one time manager? Puhleeze! Read about the guy, Dman. He's an effin criminal and dope dealer.

Rohirrim · 09-07-2007, 11:13 AM

Here's some more on Paul

:

In 1998, Paul co-founded Stan Lee Media with comic book legend Stan Lee[1] and took the company public via a reverse-merger into a trading shell in August 1999.[15]
In February, 2000, in the midst of the Internet stock market boom, Stan Lee Media built a 165 person studio, and the company's market capitalization grew to over $370 million.[citation needed] However, at the end of the year, Stan Lee Media ran out of money. Paul alleged in a later civil fraud and coercion suit against Bill and Hillary Clinton that the company failed because of the intervention of Bill Clinton, who he claims persuaded a large investor not to further support the company.[16]
In the aftermath of the company's collapse, it was alleged that Paul and a corporate officer named Stephan Gordon had illegally tried to support the stock's price by using nominee accounts to buy 1.6 million shares of the company's stock, attempting to pay for the stock with bad checks.[17] Those charges were subsequently dropped against Paul.[citation needed]
In February 2001, Stan Lee Media filed for bankruptcy, and Peter Paul fled to São Paulo, Brazil.[18][19][20] There he managed 112 Interactive do Brazil, a seller of English language acquisition software,[18] and fought extradition.[19]

defenseman · 09-07-2007, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rohirrim

Fabio's one time manager? Puhleeze! Read about the guy, Dman. He's an effin criminal and dope dealer.

then why is hillary and her hubby having anything to do with him?...dman

defenseman · 09-07-2007, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by defenseman

Ok. So that makes the story null and void? I think not. The facts are as they appear from my understanding. Then again, I'll look around and see if anyone else, including the major contributors to the newswire are even carrying a story of this nature and see if I can't get it on here. There has to be something out there, maybe...dman

Looked around a bit. Did find this....

Hillary’s History of Accepting Contributions from Felons Ignored
By Noel Sheppard | September 1, 2007 - 14:10 ET
If it turned out that any of the major Republican presidential candidates had not only taken contributions from the recently surrendered fugitive Norman Hsu, but also had received donations from a felon during a prior campaign, do you think it would be reported?

Probably on front pages and newscasts for days, correct?

Well, although ABC's Brian Ross did mention during Friday's "World News with Charles Gibson" that Hillary Clinton's "kickoff senate fund-raiser in 2000 was organized by a convicted felon," not one news agency has mentioned since Wednesday's Hsu revelations the name of this individual, all the particulars, or that there is still a lawsuit pending against the Clintons concerning the matter.

Not one.

For those interested, the New Media Journal did a seven-part series about Peter F. Paul last March with information about Hillary's largest benefactor which the media have almost completely ignored for seven years (emphasis added throughout, videos describing the details also available here, here, and here):

Our story begins on August 12, 2000, when a man whose name is unfamiliar to probably 99 percent of the American people threw a fabulously luxurious and massively expensive party for the Clintons in Brentwood, California, a posh area just outside of Hollywood.

In attendance, as well as performing for the Clintons' entertainment, were such Hollywood luminaries as Cher, Shirley MacLaine, Whoopi Goldberg, Patti LaBelle, Jimmy Smits, Sugar Ray, Red Buttons, Toni Braxton, Angelica Houston, Melissa Etheridge, Dylan McDermott, Alfre Woodard, and Michael Bolton. Also on hand were John Travolta, Patrick Swayze, newlyweds Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, Milton Berle, Olivia Newton-John, Carol Burnett, David Spade, Laura Dern, Michael York, Frances Fisher, Angie Dickinson, Rod Steiger, Kathy Bates, Camryn Manheim, Ed Asner, Robert Wuhl, Richard Lewis, and Annabelle Weston.

The event cost $1,000 per ticket, and $25,000 per couple for the dinner. All of the funds raised were going to Hillary's New York senatorial campaign, although the gala was dubbed as a going away party for the president inasmuch as he was in the final months of his second term.

After the festivities, People magazine reported: "In politics, there are Parties--and there are parties. The place to be--by a landslide--on Aug. 12 was the Robert Taylor Ranch in Los Angeles, where more than 1,000 Friends of Bill, from Gregory Peck to Brad Pitt, kicked off a Democratic National Convention week of high-profile bashes (including one on the set of NBC's The West Wing) with a salute to President Clinton." On the same day, US magazine did a spread of the gala as well.

This event was so huge that The New York Times included details about it in a front page pre-Democratic presidential convention story two days before it occurred: "The headline event is Saturday night at a private Los Angeles estate. More than 1,400 people will attend a salute to the president, with the proceeds going to Mrs. Clinton's Senate campaign." As amazing as it might seem, this was the last time the Old Gray Lady would refer to this gala, or any of the fraudulent campaign finance activities surrounding it until February 2005.

Who was the man responsible for this gala? Peter F. Paul, a former international lawyer, entrepreneur, and entertainment mogul with ties to presidential administrations dating back to Richard Nixon.

[...]

Why the blackout concerning this issue? Well, on top of the indictment of Hillary's campaign finance director, the Clintons are also being sued by Paul in California Superior Court for "fraud, deceit, negligent misrepresentation, unfair business practices, unjust enrichment, and civil conspiracy," and it appears that America's press are not interested in reporting the existence of these cases or the facts surrounding them.

[...]
As the root issue for this lawsuit is noncompliance with federal election laws and what constituted campaign finance fraud, it is important for the reader to understand at the onset some of the economics behind this gala fundraiser, and how they ended up being falsely reported to the Federal Election Committee.

The contributions received that fateful August evening in 2000 according to Paul's lawsuit totaled $1.5 million. Paul's costs associated with the fundraiser, which by FEC law constituted contributions as well, were $1.9 million -- "not including the fair market value of his own services in acting as executive producer of the event and the fair market value, estimated at an additional $1 million, of the services rendered by eight (8) world class artists who performed at the concert portion of the event."

Hadn't heard about any of this? Well, how could you, for media outlets all around the country have been ignoring it for years. In fact, the cover-up began almost immediately when it was first revealed that Paul had previous legal troubles:

Likely before all the hangovers caused by this gala were recovered from, The Washington Post dropped a bombshell that none of the participants expected. On August 15, 2000, Post writer Lloyd Grove wrote the following in his "This Just In" column:

"Is Hillary Clinton soft on crime? We certainly hope not, even though convicted felon Peter Paul--who served three years in prison two decades ago after pleading guilty to cocaine possession and trying to swindle $8.7 million out of the Cuban government-- helped organize Saturday's star-glutted $1 million fundraising gala for Clinton's Senate race at businessman Ken Roberts's Brentwood estate. Paul, co-founder of Stan Lee Media, told us in a statement: ‘As a young international lawyer and active anti-communist, working in a politically charged environment, I got caught up in a vicious interagency rivalry concerning a covert operation against Castro's Cuba.' He added that he only produced the gala and hasn't given or raised money for the first lady's New York campaign. And we will not be accepting any contributions from him,' Clinton campaign spokesman Howard Wolfson vowed."

This statement by Wolfson was quite curious, as it implied that the Clinton campaign was surprised to find out about Paul's past. After all, Hillary was, at that time, married to the president of the United States. Wouldn't the background of anyone throwing a high-profile party for the president, and being allowed to get so close to him and his family be properly vetted by his staff? They didn't check Paul's Social Security number which would have immediately identified his prior convictions? In addition, Paul had previously hosted two fundraising events for Hillary, and one for Vice President Al Gore. How could Paul's past not have properly vetted for these?

This is especially curious given the article that TIME magazine did on February 12, 1979 entitled "The Cuban Coffee Caper," chronicling events that Paul was involved in. Yet, the Clinton administration first found out about Paul's participation in this "caper" when The Washington Post reported it three days after the gala? This appears implausible, and is called into serious question as the article ensues.

So, seven years later, it's been revealed that Clinton has again taken money from a felon. Yet, other than Ross's reference Friday evening, not one media outlet has felt the Senator's involvement with another felon seven years ago is at all newsworthy.

Think the press would give such treatment to Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, or any of the other Republican presidential candidates if they were involved with Hsu and Paul?

No, I don't either.

Readers are encouraged to familiarize themselves with this entire story here and here.

—Noel Sheppard is an economist, business owner, and Associate Editor of NewsBusters.

http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/noe...felons-ignored

Rohirrim · 09-07-2007, 11:40 AM

As anyone knows on this board, I am no fan of the Clintons. But this is an obvious right wing hatchet job based on charges brought by a known criminal, drug dealer and liar. There is a reason major media haven't touched this bs. I find it far more injurious to the United States that the largest funders of the Bush cabal (oil companies, pharmas, etc.) were invited to write laws dealing with their respective agencies.

defenseman · 09-07-2007, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rohirrim

As anyone knows on this board, I am no fan of the Clintons. But this is an obvious right wing hatchet job based on charges brought by a known criminal, drug dealer and liar. There is a reason major media haven't touched this bs. I find it far more injurious to the United States that the largest funders of the Bush cabal (oil companies, pharmas, etc.) were invited to write laws dealing with their respective agencies.

Again, what was hillary and WJC thinking when they brought this guy on board? They put themselves there, nobody held a gun to their heads..dman

*And yes, he is not a good person to associate with. All the more reason to steer your ship clear of him. How many others out there like him? Makes you wonder. In addition, I can't help but think, since he won't leave it alone, he's got some information on them they just may not be aware of. We'll see....

Bronco Bob · 09-07-2007, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garcia Bronco

she still needs to answer for Whitewater.

What's to answer? She and Bill were cleared of any wrongdoing.

Rohirrim · 09-07-2007, 11:58 AM

Yep. They're probably the first politicians on earth to get duped by dishonest donors. Sounds to me like a whole bunch of people have been conned by this guy. But hey, if you and the Righties want to drag Ken Starr out of retirement and blow another $40 million of taxpayer money on an investigation, be my guest. After all, we all know that the pursuit of the Clintons has always been more important to the GOP than anything else on earth, including the pursuit of Bin Laden.

Bronco Bob · 09-07-2007, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by §Pide®

John Edwards is happy , he seems to be the unseen leader in the race as far as IOWA and New Hampshire go , and Hillary getting the bad press ......

Real Clear Politics (http://www.realclearpolitics.com/)
has Hillary ahead of Edwards by 2 points in Iowa, ahead by 23 points
in New Hampshire, ahead by 20.6 points in South Carolina,
and ahead by 27.5 points in Florida. Even if Edwards manages
to pull off Iowa he is going to get creamed everywhere else.

What dman posted is old news and hasn't affected Hillary's
poll numbers a bit. In fact Hillary's numbers are going up.
In Rasmussen's national poll Hillary is now at 45% to
Obama's 23% and Edward's 13%. Compare that to a couple
of weeks ago where it was 36% for Hillary, 23% for Obama,
and 18% for Edwards.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/publ...olling_history

defenseman · 09-07-2007, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bronco Bob

Real Clear Politics (http://www.realclearpolitics.com/)
has Hillary ahead of Edwards by 2 points in Iowa, ahead by 23 points
in New Hampshire, ahead by 20.6 points in South Carolina,
and ahead by 27.5 points in Florida. Even if Edwards manages
to pull off Iowa he is going to get creamed everywhere else.

What dman posted is old news and hasn't affected Hillary's
poll numbers a bit. In fact Hillary's numbers are going up.
In Rasmussen's national poll Hillary is now at 45% to
Obama's 23% and Edward's 13%. Compare that to a couple
of weeks ago where it was 36% for Hillary, 23% for Obama,
and 18% for Edwards.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/publ...olling_history

Perhaps you are right, it is old news, slowly making it's way back into the mainstream possibly. All I'm saying is, if the right people catapult this at the right time, it won't be old news anymore and end up on the wrong doorstep. Then again, as posted, if this were any legitimate republican candidates cross to bear, it would be all over every major outlet in the country. that said, if it does rear it's ugly head, it could get interesting out there for the Clinton's. We'll see what happens on Paul's appeal....dman

Rohirrim · 09-07-2007, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by defenseman

Perhaps you are right, it is old news, slowly making it's way back into the mainstream possibly. All I'm saying is, if the right people catapult this at the right time, it won't be old news anymore and end up on the wrong doorstep. Then again, as posted, if this were any legitimate republican candidates cross to bear, it would be all over every major outlet in the country. that said, if it does rear it's ugly head, it could get interesting out there for the Clinton's. We'll see what happens on Paul's appeal....dman

Believe me, they'll save this one for next summer. Don't forget! August is Swift Boat month. Mark your calendars!

Bronco Bob · 09-07-2007, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rohirrim

Believe me, they'll save this one for next summer. Don't forget! August is Swift Boat month. Mark your calendars!

Yeah, but Hillary is no John Kerry. You can bet she already has
CD ROMs full of info on each of the Republican candidate
ready to feed into the Clinton Attack Machine when the time
is right.

09-07-2007, 10:02 AM	#1
defenseman Ring of Famer 2007 record pred. (7-9) Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 9,232	Interesting developments Court to Hear Other Hillary Fundraising Case Friday, September 7, 2007 9:41 AM Article Font Size Written by Fred Lucas, CNSNews.com Staff Writer Barely a week after questions emerged about suspicious donations to Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, a three-judge panel in California will hear arguments Friday regarding an illegal fundraising event from her 2000 Senate campaign. The California Court of Appeals, Second Appellate District, will hear arguments about whether Clinton, a New York senator and leading Democratic presidential candidate, should be a defendant in a lawsuit brought by Hollywood mogul Peter Paul. Attorneys for each side will also debate the inclusion of a videotape as evidence -- a video in which Clinton can be heard apparently agreeing to plan a fundraiser, which was later determined to be illegal by the Federal Elections Commission (FEC). The appeals court, made of two Democratic appointees and one Republican appointee, will issue a ruling within 90 days. Paul's legal counsel, the United States Justice Foundation (USJF), filed a brief in July. It said the videotape "captures the very commission of a crime, namely, that of knowingly soliciting, coordinating and accepting federal campaign contributions far in excess of the legal limit of $2,000." Clinton's attorney filed a brief in response that claimed the tape is "pure fantasy" and "much ado about nothing." Paul is appealing a California Superior Court ruling that dismissed Hillary Clinton from an earlier lawsuit under a statute that protects politicians from harassing or frivolous lawsuits. Paul's legal team argues the statute does not apply to a political figure who violates the law. "We will accomplish what Ken Starr wasn't able to achieve," Paul told Cybercast News Service, referring to the independent counsel who investigated several Clinton scandals in the 1990s. "We have three judges reviewing Hillary Clinton's illegal conduct. Presidential candidates have never been forced to defend themselves in court from being a felon." Paul is suing Sen. Clinton, former President Bill Clinton, and others. Paul claims that their actions cost him his multi-million dollar Internet venture, of which he was a majority owner, along with comic book icon Stan Lee. Paul contends that in exchange for producing the fundraising event, President Clinton agreed to work as a rainmaker for the company after leaving the White House. Paul said the former president reneged on the agreement, causing investors to pull their money out of the company. Clinton attorney David Kendall could not be reached for comment. Paul wants to force the New York senator to testify in the case. Paul spent about $2 million to produce a star-studded August 2000 fundraiser that included Cher, Diana Ross, Brad Pitt, Sugar Ray and other Hollywood celebrities. After failing to properly report the money raised, the Clinton Senate campaign had to pay a $35,000 fine to the FEC. Clinton's campaign finance director, David Rosen, was accused of lying to the FEC. He was indicted but eventually acquitted. "Everything I complained about in 2001, and she denied, was supported in the Rosen trial and the FEC," Paul said. "Only her direct knowledge continues to be denied, and the tape contradicts that. Hillary's obstruction is worse than Nixon's obstruction in Watergate." Over the last six years Clinton's staff said she played no role in planning the fundraiser. Yet the videotape shows Paul, Lee, and movie director Aaron Tonkin speaking with Hillary Clinton on speakerphone as she expresses enthusiasm about the event and telling Paul to contact her aide any time to further plan details. If Clinton helped to plan the event, it could legally constitute a direct hard money donation to her Senate campaign, rather than to her joint fundraising committee, "New York Senate 2000." If that is the case, the donation from Paul would be more than a thousand times the legal limit for an individual donation. Knowingly soliciting an individual contribution of $25,000 or more is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. At one point on the tape Tonkin said the celebrities are "coming out in full force knowing this is for your Senate race, it's unbelievable." Clinton replied, "I'm just thrilled. I'll check in with you from time to time because I know that putting something like this together is challenging even when people are enthusiastic and looking forward to doing it." Clinton also says on the tape that Paul and her campaign aide Kelly Craighead "talk all the time, so she'll be the person to convey whatever I need." Clinton's attorneys, in a brief, said, "The videotape shows that Senator Clinton is gracious to her supporters, that she has a sense of humor, and nothing more." That fails to explain why Clinton instructed Paul to talk to one of her top aides, and why Clinton said on the tape that she contacted Cher about performing at the fundraiser, Paul's attorney D. Colette Wilson of the USJF said in an interview. Cybercast News Service first reported the existence of the tape in April. In a written declaration for the California court filed on April 7, 2006, Clinton said that she did not remember discussions with Paul about the fundraiser. "I have no recollection whatsoever of discussing any arrangement with him whereby he would support my campaign for the United States Senate in exchange for anything from me or then-President Clinton," Clinton wrote. "I do not believe I would make such a statement because I believe I would remember such a discussion if it had occurred." Even if the appeals court excuses Sen. Clinton, the lawsuit will still continue. The lower court that excused the former first lady allowed the case to move forward against Bill Clinton and Clinton associate Jim Levin and producer Gary Smith, both involved in the planning of the fundraiser. That means, Paul said, Hillary Clinton will likely be called as a material witness. Last week, after reports that one of Clinton's largest contributors, Norman Hsu, was a fugitive convicted of grand theft in 1991 in California, she gave $23,000 that Hsu directly donated to her present and past campaigns to charity. However, she did not discard the more that $1 million that Hsu raised under questionable circumstances. (As this story went to press, Hsu reportedly had failed to turn over his passport to his lawyers and his whereabouts were unknown.) "It's ironic and cosmic that this is happening the same time as the Hsu scandal," Paul's attorney Wilson said. "At least in that case, she has more plausible deniability, though I can't believe she didn't know. In this case, the charge is that she knowingly solicited Peter Paul to pay for her campaign fundraiser." © 2007 CNSNews.com. All Rights Reserved http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/h.../07/30667.html

09-07-2007, 10:49 AM	#6
Rohirrim Partisan Human Cannonball Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Twixt Hell & Highwater Posts: 49,101	"Hollywood mogul Peter Paul" (from Wikipedia) The Cuban coffee caper Peter Paul was a lawyer in Miami, Florida, representing foreign governments and political leaders in South America and the Caribbean. He also served as President of the Miami World Trade Center[3] and was the original owner and operator of the largest[citation needed] Foreign Trade Zone in the U.S., Miami Free Zone Inc.[2] As a result of what Paul described as anti-Communist and anti-Castro political activities,[4] he directed a fraud on the Cuban government of $8.75 million dollars by selling agents of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro nonexistent coffee. The plan apparently also involved sinking the ship that was to deliver the nonexistent coffee to hide the fraud from Castro and, according to TIME Magazine, to defraud its insurer, but the ship was abandoned in Costa Rica and never sunk.[2][5] Paul pled guilty to conspiring to defraud the Cuban government. When his home was raided by the police in connection with this crime, they found cocaine in his garage, and Paul pled guilty to possessing cocaine with intent to distribute.[2] He was sentenced to eight years in prison for the cocaine charge, and a concurrent three years for fraud; he was paroled after three years. His license to practice law was suspended as a result of the convictions,[6][7] and he claims to have been sued by the Cuban government as well.[4] In 1983, Paul was caught traveling to Canada under a false identity and pled guilty to federal charges of making false statements to customs inspectors. This was a violation of his parole terms from the 1979 felonies, and he went back to jail.[2] [edit]Involvement in politics and the entertainment industry After being released from federal prison in California, Paul moved to Los Angeles. In 1985, he was appointed President of the California Bicentennial Foundation for the Constitution and Bill of Rights, a foundation designated by the California state legislature and governor to direct California's role in the Bicentennial celebration of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.[8] Paul's efforts on behalf of the Foundation were derided in the Los Angeles Times, in part because the commission was selling a book that described blacks as "pickaninnies," and slaveowners as "the worst victims of slavery,"[9] and in part because Paul referred to the founding fathers of the United States as "39 sweaty old men arguing in Philadelphia",[8] and remarked that most Californians weren't able to understand the 18th century language in the constitution anyway.[10] Prior to the Los Angeles Times article, Chief Justice Warren Burger had commended Paul for his efforts in a letter that read in part "We commend you for the many contributions you have made during the national commemoration of the Constitution's 200th anniversary".[11][12] Paul became a business manager for, or otherwise involved with several celebrities, including becoming manager for a time of romance-novel icon Fabio.[13][14] Last edited by Rohirrim; 09-07-2007 at 10:52 AM..

09-07-2007, 11:58 AM	#18
Rohirrim Partisan Human Cannonball Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Twixt Hell & Highwater Posts: 49,101	Yep. They're probably the first politicians on earth to get duped by dishonest donors. Sounds to me like a whole bunch of people have been conned by this guy. But hey, if you and the Righties want to drag Ken Starr out of retirement and blow another $40 million of taxpayer money on an investigation, be my guest. After all, we all know that the pursuit of the Clintons has always been more important to the GOP than anything else on earth, including the pursuit of Bin Laden. Last edited by Rohirrim; 09-07-2007 at 12:00 PM..

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09-07-2007, 10:05 AM	#2
defenseman Ring of Famer 2007 record pred. (7-9) Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 9,232	Of course, then there is this: Disgraced Dem Donor Arrested in Colorado Friday, September 7, 2007 7:50 AM Article Font Size SAN FRANCISCO -- Disgraced Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu was arrested in Colorado late Thursday after he failed to show up for a court appearance related to a felony theft conviction. FBI agents took Hsu into custody at St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction, Colo., said FBI spokesman Joseph Schadler. Hsu had been scheduled to appear in court Wednesday to turn over his passport and ask a judge to cut in half the $2 million bail he posted last week when he turned himself in after spending 15 years on the lam from a felony theft conviction. Instead, Hsu failed to show up at the bail reduction hearing and a judge issued a new arrest warrant for him. California Attorney General spokesman Gareth Lacy said Hsu's lawyers told prosecutors Hsu arrived by charter jet at the Oakland airport about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday local time and then wasn't heard from again. When it became apparent that Hsu had fled the state, California authorities sought the assistance of the FBI, whose agents arrested him Thursday night on charges of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, Schadler said. Once he is returned to state custody, the federal charges will be dismissed, Schadler said. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell became the latest of many Democratic politicians to return or donate to charity Hsu's election contributions. Rendell had said last week he planned to keep nearly $40,000 of Hsu's money even though he was wanted for failing to appear for sentencing after pleading no contest to a felony charge of bilking investors out of $1 million. "Though Norman is my friend, and remains so, his failure to appear casts a new light on his assertions regarding the original case," Rendell said in a statement before Hsu's arrest Thursday. "As a result, I will follow other elected officials and donate the money he contributed to me to charity." New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has said she plans to give to charity the $23,000 in donations she received from Hsu for her presidential and senatorial campaigns and to her political action committee, HillPac. The growing flap over Hsu's contributions prompted Democratic presidential candidate Chris Dodd to release a statement Thursday vowing "to refuse to accept or possess campaign contributions raised, solicited, or delivered by fugitives from justice." Hsu has said he believed he had resolved his legal issues, but that he would halt his work raising political money. © 2007 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/nor.../07/30643.html

09-07-2007, 10:30 AM	#3
Spider Mr Diplomacy I survived Tebow Mania at the Mane Join Date: May 2001 Location: Elway was just an arm =MacGruder Posts: 84,438 Adopt-a-Bronco: Von Miller	I am shocked .......... ok not really ........ but whats so interesting about it ? Hillary case has been going on for awhile now , no new evidence or confessions coming out , just rehashed news , and this other guy I never heard of , but on the run for 15 years ? anyone that can elude law officials that long deserves to get away

09-07-2007, 10:43 AM	#5
Garcia Bronco Hokie since 1993 Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 46,001 Adopt-a-Bronco: Tom Jackson	she still needs to answer for Whitewater.

09-07-2007, 10:52 AM	#8
Rohirrim Partisan Human Cannonball Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Twixt Hell & Highwater Posts: 49,101	From Sourcewatch Cybercast News Service (CNS) is a subsidiary of the conservative news monitoring group, the Media Research Center (MRC). Originally calling itself the "Conservative News Service," CNS changed its name to Cybercast in 2000.

09-07-2007, 11:13 AM	#12
Rohirrim Partisan Human Cannonball Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Twixt Hell & Highwater Posts: 49,101	Here's some more on Paul : In 1998, Paul co-founded Stan Lee Media with comic book legend Stan Lee[1] and took the company public via a reverse-merger into a trading shell in August 1999.[15] In February, 2000, in the midst of the Internet stock market boom, Stan Lee Media built a 165 person studio, and the company's market capitalization grew to over $370 million.[citation needed] However, at the end of the year, Stan Lee Media ran out of money. Paul alleged in a later civil fraud and coercion suit against Bill and Hillary Clinton that the company failed because of the intervention of Bill Clinton, who he claims persuaded a large investor not to further support the company.[16] In the aftermath of the company's collapse, it was alleged that Paul and a corporate officer named Stephan Gordon had illegally tried to support the stock's price by using nominee accounts to buy 1.6 million shares of the company's stock, attempting to pay for the stock with bad checks.[17] Those charges were subsequently dropped against Paul.[citation needed] In February 2001, Stan Lee Media filed for bankruptcy, and Peter Paul fled to São Paulo, Brazil.[18][19][20] There he managed 112 Interactive do Brazil, a seller of English language acquisition software,[18] and fought extradition.[19]

09-07-2007, 11:40 AM	#15
Rohirrim Partisan Human Cannonball Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Twixt Hell & Highwater Posts: 49,101	As anyone knows on this board, I am no fan of the Clintons. But this is an obvious right wing hatchet job based on charges brought by a known criminal, drug dealer and liar. There is a reason major media haven't touched this bs. I find it far more injurious to the United States that the largest funders of the Bush cabal (oil companies, pharmas, etc.) were invited to write laws dealing with their respective agencies.