PrintMarc Rich bio may cause Holder some problems
Does anyone recall the saga of Swiss-based oil trader Marc Rich? He was the billionaire indicted back in 1983 on charges of tax evasion as well as trading with an enemy state (Iran). He was granted a pardon, pushed by then Assistant Attorney General Eric Holder, by Bill Clinton on the last day of his presidency.
The pardon elicited much controversy. Denise Rich, ex-wife of Marc, was a very prominent donor to the Democratic Party, the Clintons, and the Bill Clinton Presidential Library. Was there a quid pro quo behind the granting of the pardon? Stranger things have happened.
Marc Rich has a book out now and there might be some worry on the horizon for Washington powers-that-be, including Eric Holder, now Barack Obama's US attorney General.
Even the liberal Washington Post columnist thought that Eric Holder's role in the controversial pardon disqualified him from serving as the Attorney General. The pardon was arranged by a Jack Quinn, Washington power-broker and a former White House Counsel for Clinton. Breaking precedent, Quinn did an end run around the Justice Department's pardon office and went straight to Holder who sent along the request - with a favorable perspective - to Clinton.
As Cohen wrote:
Holder was not just an integral part of the pardon process, he provided the White House with cover by offering his go-ahead recommendation. No alarm seemed to sound for him. Not only had strings been pulled, but it was rare to pardon a fugitive -- someone who had avoided possible conviction by avoiding the inconvenience of a trial. The U.S. attorney's office in New York -- which, Holder had told the White House, would oppose any pardon -- was kept ignorant of what was going on. Afterward, it was furious.Cohen thought that Holder should have served the people and the principles of the office, not the wealthy, powerful and well-connected. Cohen lives and works in Washington, after all. He knows.
In any case, the billionaire is back with a new book that might cause some consternation in Washington. Rich claims to have provided intelligence to American diplomats about Iran, the Soviet Union and other countries. Maybe this justified the unusual pardon; but maybe not.
Why the book now? The author who worked with Rich believes it might be that Rich is getting on in years and wants his side of the story out.
Will there be any revelations regarding the Clintons or Eric Holder? That is unclear at this point. But the mere dredging up of the story will no doubt elicit some further controversy for Rich's friends in Washignton who bent the law for his benefit.
