Fund-Raiser to Stay Silent on Role in Rich’s Pardon

Democratic fund-raiser Beth Dozoretz invoked the 5th Amendment on Monday, joining Denise Rich in refusing to testify before a congressional committee about their role in pushing for a controversial presidential pardon for fugitive financier Marc Rich.

Dozoretz, who reportedly persuaded Denise Rich to donate $450,000 to former President Clinton’s presidential library foundation, had been called to testify Thursday before the House Government Reform Committee, which is seeking to determine whether Clinton pardoned Marc Rich because of donations made by his ex-wife, Denise.

But Dozoretz’s attorney, Thomas C. Green, advised the committee Monday that she would not respond to the panel’s subpoena.

“Because of the pendency of other investigations, Ms. Dozoretz, upon advice of counsel, has elected to invoke her constitutional privilege not to testify,” Green told Chairman Dan Burton (R-Ind.).

Although the lawyer did not mention the parallel criminal investigation by the U.S. attorney’s office in New York, which is trying to determine whether federal laws were broken in connection with the Rich pardon, he clearly was thinking of it.

Green asked Burton not to insist that Dozoretz appear in person to invoke the 5th Amendment protection against self-incrimination, a request that Burton turned down.

“It is my hope that, when she comes before the committee on Thursday, she will change her mind and answer the committee’s questions,” Burton said. “It is beginning to seem that the reason people aren’t answering questions is because they are hiding something. This is unacceptable.”

Dozoretz, a Clinton friend and former finance chairwoman for the Democratic National Committee, spoke with Clinton on behalf of Marc Rich at least twice in the weeks before Clinton left the White House. She also is thought to have had a major role in persuading Denise Rich to contribute heavily to the Clinton presidential library fund.

What the committee wants to know is whether any of the $450,000 in donations came from Marc Rich. It is illegal for a fugitive to contribute to political causes and it could show a quid pro quo.

Jack Quinn, Marc Rich’s attorney, testified two weeks ago before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is also investigating the pardon, that he asked Dozoretz to talk with Clinton about the Rich pardon.

The Thursday hearing is aimed at learning how the White House staff handled the Rich pardon request in the final days of the Clinton presidency. The pardon was one of 140 pardons and 36 commutations granted on Jan. 20.

Also subpoenaed to testify Thursday are former White House Counsel Beth Nolan, former Chief of Staff John Podesta and Clinton friend and advisor Bruce Lindsey.

Committee staff members said that, along with the Rich pardon, they also hope to determine how Hugh Rodham, the president’s brother-in-law and brother of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), came to represent two clemency applicants for fees totaling $400,000.

That revelation caused a storm of controversy last week, and Rodham said he has since returned $200,000 each to Horacio Vignali, whose son, Carlos, was released from prison on a drug conspiracy charge, and Almon Glenn Braswell, pardoned on perjury and mail fraud charges.

The House and Senate committees also are trying to find out whether another Clinton brother-in-law, Anthony Rodham, had any role in lobbying for clemencies.

Burton described as “stonewall tactics” the refusals of Dozoretz and Denise Rich to cooperate, as well as the Clinton library’s refusal to turn over its donor lists, which were subpoenaed by the panel earlier this month.

The committee wants the names of everyone who donated $5,000 or more to the library. But Clinton maintains that revealing the names would be an invasion of privacy, and his lawyers have refused to honor the committee’s subpoenas for the records.

On Monday, Burton sought a compromise in which committee staff members would go to Little Rock, Ark., and review the records, but only take note of those names they deem germane to their investigation.

“We may be able to eliminate a number of individuals whose contributions are not relevant to the committee’s investigation,” Burton said in a letter to Clinton lawyer David E. Kendall. “The names of individuals deemed to have no connection to the investigation by the committee could then be redacted from the donor and pledge lists. . . . It seems that this step would be a reasonable way of fulfilling the committee’s legitimate investigative needs.”

Burton added that at Thursday’s hearing he will ask Skip Rutherford, a longtime Clinton friend and president of the library, to testify about the involvement in library fund-raising of Dozoretz and Denise Rich, who had said earlier that she would refuse to testify.

He said he also will subpoena the library’s bank records.

Kendall, the Clinton lawyer, had no immediate reaction.