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Jewish World Review May 10, 2000 /5 Iyar, 5760

David Limbaugh

David Limbaugh
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Patrick Kennedy and his suit-happy fiddlers


http://www.jewishworldreview.com -- WE NOW HAVE irrefutable proof that the Democrats are scared silly about Republicans winning the White House and retaining control of both houses of Congress. Only such desperation could explain their bizarre lawsuit against Majority Whip Tom Delay.

No less a moral icon than Rep. Patrick Kennedy (R. I.) is spearheading this suit that accuses Delay of helping to form three tax-exempt organizations that he has used as vehicles for political extortion and money laundering. By threatening to withhold favorable action on legislation affecting them, Delay allegedly pressured entities to make contributions to these organizations (extortion). And by falsely asserting that the organizations were not political committees they avoided the requirement that their donor lists be publicly disclosed -- even though the organizations passed these funds on to the Republican Party (money laundering).

Kennedy chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and has a vested interest in obstructing Delay's Republican fundraising efforts on behalf of congressional Republicans. Indeed, Kennedy acknowledged that he couldn't wait on the Department of Justice or Federal Election Commission to investigate because their investigation wouldn't be in time to prevent the organizations from flooding key congressional races with money.

In the press conference announcing his lawsuit, Kennedy conveniently forgot to mention the fact that several top Democratic Party contributors have used similar techniques to keep their donors private. He also failed to reveal that his suit relies solely on hearsay gleaned through newspaper articles concerning Delay's fundraising activities. No one was interviewed, nor was any investigation conducted prior to the filing of the suit.

The Clinton administration has amassed quite a legacy in misusing the judicial system to circumvent the legislative process and force companies, such as tobacco and gun manufacturers, to take action in accordance with its dictates. Now its Democrat counterparts in Congress are following suit (pun intended).

The civil action was filed under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), a federal statute aimed at organized crime. Even G. Robert Blakey, one of the law professors who helped draft RICO, admits that Kennedy's lawsuit is a misuse of RICO, which was designed to cover business and personal activities rather than political dealings.

Let's be honest. This lawsuit is not about campaign finance abuses. It is transparently motivated to accomplish several goals: 1) to dry up GOP congressional fundraising; 2) to enable Democrats to obtain confidential campaign information through the discovery process and 3) to demonize Tom Delay. Democrats have been looking for a suitable devil to replace Newt Gingrich since he retired and thus far, nothing has stuck to Delay. They figure this high-profile case may turn that around. Making Delay a symbol of evil would aid them in nationalizing their effort to recapture Congress by instilling fear in the voters about a Republican Congress led by this "criminal."

What really frosts me here is the Democrats' selective indignation about alleged campaign finance violations. If Kennedy and his colleagues were truly concerned about campaign finance abuses they would quit posturing and help Republicans get to the bottom of Charles LaBella's disturbing revelations before a Senate subcommittee Monday. LaBella recommended to Janet Reno that she seek the appointment of an independent prosecutor to investigate the connection between President Clinton and Bernard Schwartz, the Democratic Party's largest individual donor in 1995-1996. The Washington Times, in a May 7 editorial, laid out the "quid-pro-quo chronology of political donations from Schwartz ... and the favorable technology-transfer decisions the Clinton administration made that greatly benefited Schwartz's firm (Loral Corp.) to the detriment of U.S. national security." I would urge everyone who is remotely interested in this nation's security to read this chilling editorial and study its timeline.

Honestly, which is cause for greater concern: hearsay allegations of campaign finance abuses that result in an advantage to a political party or allegations by the former head prosecutor of the Justice Department's campaign task force of campaign finance abuses that result in an advantage to a political party and severe and permanent damage to the national security?

Until Congressman Kennedy and his Nero-fiddling friends quit playing partisan games and put the interests of their country ahead of their party they will have no credibility. They ought to be thrown out of court and out of office.


JWR contributor David Limbaugh is an attorney practicing in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and a political analyst and commentator. Send your comments to him by clicking here.

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Up

05/08/00: Don't shoot Eddie Eagle
05/03/00: Congress caves to Clinton, again?
05/01/00: The resurrection of outrage
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03/13/00: Deifying of the center
03/08/00: The media, the establishment and the people
03/01/00: McCain's coalition-busting daggers in GOP's heart
02/28/00: Bush's silver lining in McMichigan
02/24/00: A conservative firewall, after all
02/22/00: Bush or four more of Clinton-Gore?
02/16/00: Substance trumps process
02/14/00: The campaign finance reform mirage
02/09/00: President McCain: End of the GOP as we know it?
02/07/00: From New Hampshire to South Carolina
02/02/00: SDI must fly
01/31/00: Veep gores Bradley
01/26/00: The issues gap
01/24/00: GOP: Exit, stage left
01/20/00: Nationalizing congressional elections
01/18/00: Do voters really prefer straight talk?
01/12/00: Media's McCain efforts may backfire
01/10/00: Conservative racism myth
01/05/00: Just one more year of Clintonian politics
01/03/00: McMedia?
12/27/99: Al Gore: Bullish on government
12/22/99: Bradley's full-court press
12/20/99: Bush: Rendering unto Caesar
12/15/99: Beltway media bias
12/13/99: White House ambulance chasing
12/08/99: Clinton's labor pains
12/06/99:The lust for power
12/01/99: In defense of liberty
11/29/99: Are Republicans obsolete?
11/24/99: Say you're sorry, Mr. President
11/22/99: Architects of victory
11/17/99: Trump's tax on freedom
11/15/99: GOP caves again
11/10/99: Triangulation and 'The Third Way'
11/08/99: Sticks and stones
11/03/99: Keyes vs. media lapdogs
11/01/99: Signs of the times
10/27/99: The false charge of isolationism
10/25/99: A matter of freedom
10/20/99: Clinton's mini-meltdown
10/18/99: Senate GOP shows statesmanship
10/13/99: Senate must reject nuclear treaty
10/11/99: Bush bites feeding hand
10/06/99: Jesse accidentally opens door for Pat
10/04/99: Clinton and his media enablers
09/29/99: Reagan: Big-tent conservatism
09/27/99: The Clinton/Gore taint?
09/22/99: Have gun (tragedy), will travel
09/20/99: Hillary's blunders and bloopers
09/15/99: GOP must remain conservative
09/13/99:Time for Bush to take charge, please
09/10/99: Bush's education plan: Dubya confounds again
09/07/99: Pat, savior or spoiler?
09/02/99: Character doesn't matter?
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08/25/99: Dubyah's drug question: Not a hill to die on
08/23/99: Should Dubyah start buying soap ... for all that mud?
08/16/99: 'W' stands for 'winner'
08/11/99: The truth about tax cuts
08/09/99: Hillary: Threading the needle
08/04/99: What would you do?
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07/30/99: Hate Crimes Bill: Cynical Symbolism
07/26/99: It’s the 'moderates', stupid
07/21/99: JFK Jr. and Diana: the pain of privilege
07/19/99: Smith, Bush and the GOP
07/14/99: GOP must be a party of ideas
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07/08/99: Clinton’s faustian bargain: our justice
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06/30/99: Gore: a soda in every fountain
06/28/99: 'Sacred wall' or religious barrier?
06/23/99: GOP must lead in foreign policy
06/21/99: Crumbs of compassion
06/16/99: Compassionate conservatism: face-lift or body transplant?
06/10/99: Victory in Kosovo? Now What?

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