Clinton Pardon Inquiry Moves Forward
Feb. 15, 2001 -- A federal prosecutor has begun a preliminary investigation to find out if fugitive billionaire Marc Rich effectively bought his pardon, a suggestion former President Clinton vehemently denies.
Mary Jo White, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, is set to begin issuing subpoenas in a preliminary investigation aimed at determining whether any criminal laws were violated. An FBI agent also has been assigned to the case.
"Various questions have been raised concerning the activities and pardons of Marc Rich and Pincus Green," said White in a statement issued today. "The United States Attorney's Office and the FBI New York office have opened an investigation to determine whether there have been any violations of federal law."
Sources told ABCNEWS this afternoon that Clinton's legal representatives have not received any subpoena or other requests from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
But the former president's lawyers expect to receive a subpoena before too long and say Clinton intends to "fully cooperate" with any such request.
White, whose office initiated the case in the 1980s, is said to be outraged that Clinton failed to consult her before issuing Rich's pardon on his last day in the White House. Prosecutors call the investigation a "natural progression of the case."
Rich and Green were partners as commodities traders. U.S. law enforcement officials viewed them as two of the most-wanted fugitives in the world.
Clinton: 'I'm Bewildered'
Clinton has repeatedly denied any impropriety in the case. His most recent comments on the controversy came this afternoon, when he called talk-show host Geraldo Rivera, of CNBC's Rivera Live, to discuss the matter.
"I'm bewildered," said Clinton, according to a transcript of his comments released by the show's producer. "There's not a single, solitary shred of evidence that I did anything wrong, or that his [Rich's] money changed hands. And there's certainly no evidence that I took any of it."
Clinton added that he had been "blindsided" by the furor over the case, and referred to the fact that Rich, who is a Republican, previously retained Lewis "Scooter" Libby as his lawyer.
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