Michelle Malkin’s column from the February 12,
2001 edition of Human Events. Please excuse any
typos:
MEL AND BILL: BOSOM BUDDIES
Johnny-come-lately liberals are in an uproar
over former President Clinton’s peddling of
White House pardons: Clinton has no shame! He’ll
do anything for a quick buck! He disgraced the
highest office in the land!
This is news?
Lost in the hoopla is Clinton’s repugnant
clemency action for former Congress-man Mel
Reynolds.
There was no quid pro quo here. No cash
contribution – or new living room couch. Just a
heartfelt gesture of sympathy from one big creep
to another.
Clinton ordered Reynolds released from federal
prison – and commuted the remaining two years of
his term.
A federal jury convicted Reynolds, in 1997, on
15 charges of bank fraud, wire fraud and lying
to the Federal Election Commission.
Reynolds had also been convicted in 1995 – by an
Illinois jury – on two counts of solicitation of
child pornography, three counts of aggravated
sexual abuse, and four counts of obstruction of
justice.
Reynolds and Clinton – who jogged and made
campaign appearances together – had a lot in
common:
Both were Southern Democrats. Both were Rhodes
Scholars. Both were manipulative, vengeful and
voracious. Both abused their offices, humiliated
their families and their constituents, and lied
repeatedly under oath.
Both blamed Republicans, the media and their
victims for their sordid downfalls.
Both shared the Rev. Jesse Jackson, as a
spiritual counselor. And neither, to this day,
has shown an ounce of true remorse for his
behavior.
Rev. Jackson – now, himself, a professional
penitent – argued, along with other supporters,
that Reynolds had paid his dues. But, that’s not
what the court record shows:
At his federal trial, Reynolds was obscenely
defiant. He threatened a key witness by
mouthing, “You son of a bitch!” – while the man
was on the stand.
Reynolds also made a vulgar gesture at the
witness – who had testified that Reynolds had
ordered him to withhold subpoenaed
campaign-finance documents.
The incensed judge ruled not only that Reynolds
had attempted to intimidate the witness – but,
also that he lied to the court and the jury,
concealed and destroyed evidence, and failed to
take responsibility for laundering union
political contributions, hiding debts in order
to obtain bank loans, and ordering aides to
illegally cash at least $164,000 in campaign
donations for non-campaign use.
If that weren’t shameful enough, Reynolds also
had repeated adulterous sexual encounters with
an underage campaign volunteer, Beverly Heard –
whom he’d met, when he cruised her Chicago high
school in his Cadillac.
They carried on in his legislative office and at
a nearby apartment. Reynolds gave the
then-16-year-old girl cash, at each meeting, and
supplied her with his pager number and apartment
keys.
In explicit, taped, phone conversations, they
reminisced about group sex encounters with
another woman, laughed about Reynolds’ crude
name for Heard’s genitalia – and casually
discussed Reynolds’ three young children, while
planning a sexual tryst with a 15-year-old
Catholic high school girl that Heart had said
wanted to have sex with him.
“Did I just win the lotto?” Reynolds chortled,
after Heard made the offer.
Reynolds instructed Heard to take Polaroid
photographs of the 15-year-old girl’s genitals
and breasts. No “face shots”, Reynolds ordered.
Reynolds’ lawyers dismissed the talk as harmless
fantasy. In classic Clintonian style, Reynolds
smeared his young accuser as a “liar” and a “nut
case”.
A diverse jury of six blacks and six whites
believe the troubled girl – not the conniving
Rhodes Scholar.
Yet, Reynolds bitterly blamed racism in a
40-minute courtroom tirade:
“When they shackle me … like they shackled my
slave ancestors … and take me off to jail,
nobody in this room is going to see me crawl.”
He called reporters who covered the case
“animals”.
As always, the cover-up did Reynolds in. Swing
jurors were disturbed by a $4,500 bank
withdrawal Reynolds had made – in an obvious
attempt to send Heard out of state and obstruct
justice.
Reynolds also bullied law enforcement officials
– and had his employees type up recantation
affidavits for Heard to sign.
In granting clemency, Clinton must have given
his fellow Rhodes Scholar extra points for his
hubris, chutzpah and sneering indignation.
To these loathsome bosom buddies, soiling public
office means never having to say you’re sorry.
Also from the Hillary Watch column in the same
edition:
According to the Los Angeles Times, musician Ry
Cooder was granted a last-minute license by
President Clinton to visit Cuba.
Cooder had previously been fined $25,000 for
failing to obtain a U.S. license for his first
recording trip to Cuba, in 1996 – and his most
recent application languished for months in the
Treasury Department.
Finally, on January 17th – three days before
President Clinton left office – Cooder was
granted his license.
President Clinton’s actions followed a $10,000
contribution to Hillary Clinton’s senatorial
campaign in September.
