Archive [April 2000]

“I hope they [the Republicans] spend a lot or time and a lot of energy on this,” Gore said with a confident grin when asked about his latest scandal — the missing subpoenaed e-mails. He elaborated: “Well, first of all, I don’t know. But whatever is there will be disclosed, fully and completely … I just don’t know. I just don’t know … They’re reconstructing this.”

The Vice Perpetrator hasn’t learned a whole lot in the years he’s been dealing with scrutiny of his various and sundry dubious actions. Take, for example, his 50-plus illegal phone calls. Remember in September 1997, when evidence emerged that he had been soliciting money over the phone from government property, i.e. the White House? Although such activity is forbidden by federal law — well known to even the lowest level congressional staffer — Gore claimed that there was “no controlling legal” authority governing his solicitation.

But if the Vice Genius really was convinced that he was not violating the law, it everything he did was both “legal and appropriate” as he claimed, then why did he immediately promise “not to make such calls again”? Hmmm?

In any event, last month Algore’s longtime friend Maria Hsia demonstrated for all to see that there is indeed a controlling legal authority regarding campaign finance. The long arm of the law turned out to have plenty of controlling authority over her: A federal jury convicted her for arranging more than $100,000 in illegal donations during the 1996 Clinton-Gore re-election campaign — including $65,000 in tainted money she brought in the day after Gore’s appearance at the now infamous Buddhist temple in Hacienda Heights, California.

Though Gore was (naturally) not charged with any crime, the jury viewed video footage of the Vice President attending the temple fundraiser. It took them less than two days of deliberations to find Hsia guilty on five felony counts, each of which carries a five-year maximum prison term. According to prosecutors, Hsia had the temple funnel funny money to reimburse straw donors listed as contributors in campaign records and caused false statements to be filed with the federal Flection Commission.

For Gore’s part, from the beginning, in the middle, and to the end, he lied. At first, he claimed he didn’t know he was attending a fundraiser, that he thought it was just “community outreach.” Then documents materialized referring to the event in advance as a fundraiser. So Algore started claiming he had thought the Buddhist event was “finance-related.” He said he wasn’t at a White House meeting when fundraising was discussed. When a memo surfaced detailing his participation, he said okay, so he might have technically been at the meeting, but when fundraising was discussed maybe he was in the bathroom. After all, he said, he drinks a lot of ice tea at those things.

In any event, the notorious John Huang testified at the trial that Hsia handed him an envelope containing $100,000 the day after they discussed the fact that the event hadn’t raised much money, despite Gore’s appearance. According to prosecutors, much of that cash was illegally reimbursed from the funds of the Buddhist temple.

Canceled checks show that in three instances from 1993 to 1996, Hsia used temple funds to reimburse her own political donations. So this was not a one-time aberration. It was a programmed way of doing things, and doing them illegally. (One might even call it “a risky scheme.” Hsia is at the bottom of the food chain on this, folks. But Janet El Reño, head of the Injustice Department, refuses to investigate any further up, to the Big Catch: Clinton-Gore illegality.

Now, miracle of miracles, Algore says he wants to make campaign finance reform the centerpiece of his campaign. He says, “I care very deeply about the integrity of our politics — and of course about my own integrity.” Of course.

He says: Elect me President so I can enact even more campaign laws. He wants to ban so-called soft money, á là McCain-Feingold. Plus, he wants a $7 billion government fund — over $2 billion of it paid for by taxpayers — used for a government takeover of political campaigns. The fund would be doled out to candidates by an unelected government panel.

You know what this boils down to? American citizens paying for political campaigns against our will. And the media deciding who wins elections. It would be the biggest liberal Democrat power grab yet. Think of it this way. What Hillary tried to do to health care in America, Algore wants to do to democracy. And he wants you to pay for it.

Naturally, the liberal media loves the idea. “By getting out in front on this issue, instead of hiding,” says CNN’s Bill Schneider, “Gore is staging a preemptive strike. When Bush goes after him now, Gore can claim ‘I’ve made my proposal. Where is yours?”

Okay, fine. Here’s the proposal: Obey the law.