House to Quiz Israel's Barak on Rich Pardon
NewsMax.com Wires
Wednesday, March 14, 2001
WASHINGTON (UPI) – The House committee examining the last-minute pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich by then-President Bill Clinton has asked former Israeli Prime Minister Barak to detail any contact about the pardon, a committee source said Tuesday.
The House Government Reform Committee in a letter asked Barak to note the number of times he spoke with Clinton about the pardon of Rich and the dates of such conversations.
Clinton and other government officials have said that Barak lobbied on behalf of Rich, who has been deeply involved in charity work in Israel and reportedly worked for the nation's intelligence service.
Rich was pardoned in January despite having never faced trial for a rash of tax and securities charges that revolve around commodities trading with nations embargoed by the U.S. government. He has lived in Switzerland since 1983 and claims to no longer be a U.S. citizen.
Critics of the pardon allege that large contributions to Democrats by Rich's ex-wife, Denise, convinced Clinton to act, but no proof of a quid pro quo has been unearthed so far.
In related pardon action, House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, said he doubted any change could be made to the pardon authority of future presidents because he doubts that Congress or the Justice Department could do anything to modify the pardon powers. Some critics of the Rich pardon have called for lawmakers to act to prevent similar pardons in the future.
Copyright 2001 by United Press International. All rights reserved.
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