Clinton's woes approach critical mass

By CAL THOMAS

For an atomic bomb to explode, its radioactive components must be present in sufficient quantity to reach what is known as "critical mass."

Politically, it's the same. For an administration to explode, in this case the Clinton administration, the radioactive components of scandal and corruption must be present in sufficient quantity to produce its own critical mass and a subsequent explosion. It appears that point has, or is about to be, reached.

As in Watergate, all it took was for one insider to begin singing to the special counsel before the Nixon administration's cover-up began to fall apart. Now, after a far more successful operation aimed at keeping the lid on, former White House aide Mark Middleton has reportedly offered to tell investigators what he knows about the money trail built by Indonesia's Lippo Group into the United States.

The Washington Post quotes sources as saying Middleton has offered to testify about a dinner he attended with former Associate Attorney General Webster Hubbell after Hubbell resigned from Little Rock's Rose Law Firm, which he pleaded guilty to defrauding. Middleton issued a statement denying any involvement with Hubbell or Lippo and saying he has done nothing illegal.

Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr is investigating payments Hubbell received totaling nearly $500,000, including $100,000 from Lippo, for work he supposedly performed after leaving the government. Starr wants to know if the work was orchestrated by the White House to hush up Hubbell. Starr apparently is getting others to sing besides Middleton. He persuaded the U.S. District Court in Little Rock to extend the life of the grand jury by six months, on the grounds that gathering substantial evidence of obstruction of justice will require more time to analyze.

Meanwhile, James McDougal, the Clintons' former business partner, says the Clintons are "lying" about their role in the Whitewater land deal. McDougal, who has been sentenced to three years in prison for his Whitewater role, said Webster Hubbell is the key to unlocking the Whitewater case.

Empower America's Peter Wehner has compiled a "roadmap through the scandals" of this administration. He says it "constitutes a devastating empirical indictment of the ethical conduct of the Clinton White House. What is evident is the pattern of concealment, half-truths, and 'inoperative' statements which characterize the administration's dealings with so many of these ethical issues."

Wehner's roadmap is 27-pages of single-space print. It ranges from allegations of hush money to keep Webster Hubbell quiet (and his connections to the Riady family); the president's alleged knowledge of Riady payments to Hubbell; the China connection (including John Huang, the Commerce Department and Lippo); Asian-related policy reversals allegedly tied to campaign contributions; possible money laundering; the role of Johnny Chung and his Chinese connections resulting in campaign contributions; the ignoring of warnings about Chung who was called a 'hustler' by the National Security Council; the questionable $450,000 raised by Charles Yah Lin Trie, the Chinese restaurateur, for the Clinton Legal Defense Fund; the alleged use of the CIA by the Democratic National Committee for Roger Tamraz, an international fugitive and major donor to the DNC; the raising of funds by the president, first lady, and vice president on federal grounds; the mishandling of FBI files, and much more.

Taken separately, it has been difficult for the public to get a handle on the ethical malnutrition that infects this administration. Taken together, and with the vocalizing in preparation for singing by Mark Middleton, and the grand jury extension sought and won by Kenneth Starr (along with James McDougal's reported naming of people who can corroborate his testimony), only one conclusion can be drawn: Critical mass is about to be reached. Watch out for an explosion of politically atomic proportions.

Los Angeles Times Syndicate