| Printed from JudicialWatch.org Jan 29, 1999 |
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Reno Refusal to Appoint Independent Counsel for Ickes Comes As No Surprise Federal Court Commented on Ickes Veracity In Filegate Case: "...Remarkable Inability to Recall Certain Memorable Facts..." Judicial Watch is not surprised by Janet Reno's refusal to once again appoint an independent counsel to look into the Clinton fundraising machine. Her pre-ordained decision to let off Harold Ickes, who helped run the 1996 illegal fundraising operation out the White House, shows an absolute contempt for the law, rivaling that of her superior, Bill Clinton. "In addition to the smoking-gun evidence implicating Ickes in the Teamsters scandal, the Attorney General has sworn testimony before her in our Commerce/Chinagate case that Harold Ickes participated in the illegal sale of Commerce Department trade mission seats in return for DNC/Clinton-Gore campaign contributions. She also has sworn Senate testimony that Ickes was soliciting campaign contributions from Air Force One," said Larry Klayman, Judicial Watch Chairman and General Counsel. "Ickes, as much as Bill Clinton, deserves an independent counsel." The question of Ickes' perjury goes beyond campaign fundraising. When he testified in the Filegate lawsuit brought by Judicial Watch on behalf of those whose FBI files were taken by the Clinton White House, Ickes had a memory lapse about every four minutes. The court overseeing the case recently ruled that "a full review of the transcript of Ickes' deposition shows his remarkable inability to recall certain memorable facts, in addition to a contentious demeanor." "Ickes will be a subject of Judicial Watch investigations for some time to come," said Klayman. "And so will his protector - Janet Reno, the most corrupt Attorney General since the Nixon Administration's John Mitchell, who also obstructed justice." | |