That's the slogan of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Let's hope
it's so. Because this is the one law enforcement agency in the world
conducting a criminal investigation into a scandal that could lead them
right to the president of the United States.
Let's call it "Bloodgate." It's a scandal that threatens to connect
the dots between some other "gates" -- including Whitewater and Vincent
Foster.
To recap what we've already covered, in the early 1980s, HMA, a
company headed by Leonard K. Dunn, won a contract to provide medical
services to Arkansas state prison inmates. As part of the $3 million
deal, HMA was also allowed to collect blood from the prisoners and sell
it. That tainted blood, Canadian officials believe, was later
responsible for a nationwide outbreak of AIDS and other diseases. HMA
admitted to selling some contaminated blood -- unknowingly.
But there seems to be more to this story -- much more. Michael
Galster, who worked in the prison system during the time the blood was
collected, has written a novel called "Blood Trail" that suggests
then-Gov. Bill Clinton knew about the shady blood deal. Now, emboldened
by the imminent House impeachment inquiry, the author has cast aside his
pseudonym and is promising to provide the evidence linking Clinton to a
health scandal that has killed hundreds, if not thousands.
It only takes a little probing to see the political connections at
play. Dunn was one of Clinton's key political supporters who was awarded
not only with a contract for his company, but an appointment to a state
business council as well. He also turns out to be the guy who wound up
with the assets of Madison Guaranty Savings & Loan following the
Whitewater scandal. Small world, huh? Don't be surprised, it gets even
smaller.
Syndicated columnist Maggie Gallagher last week reported that the
late White House deputy counsel Vincent Foster may have been connected
with the blood scandal.
"Once upon a time -- in fact a day or two after Vince Foster died --
a man called the White House counsel's office," she wrote. "'This was
not a line that kooks typically rang us up on,' my source told me.
Lunatics call the main office number. This guy called one of Vince's
assistants directly.
"The man said he had some information that might be important.
Something had upset Vince Foster greatly just days before he died.
Something about 'tainted blood' that both Vince Foster and President
Clinton knew about, this man said.
"'I'm telling you this now because Vince Foster was very distressed
about this only days before his death,' the mysterious caller said. 'I'm
not saying this caused his suicide. I'm only saying it might have
contributed to his distress and I thought someone should know.'
"The White House counsel's office didn't pay much attention.
'Probably a kook,' they agreed around the office.
"Except that when his name was typed into the computer log of phone
calls for Vince, something strange happened. The computer flashed
'password required' or some such phrase, indicating a special code was
needed to open that file. 'Aw, probably just a computer glitch,' Bernie
Nussbaum, then chief White House counsel, said at the time. And so the
matter, as far as I know, was dropped."
That account coincides perfectly with Galster's "Blood Trail." His
book describes a fictional confrontation between the president and his
chief counsel over the blood scandal. The counsel expresses regrets
about their involvement in a scandal that killed "over a thousand
people."
"This could be the biggest scandal ever associated with the American
presidency," he says.
"Shut up," the president says. "Our discussion is over and you are
out of here."
Did Clinton have knowledge of this contaminated blood sale? Was he
involved, as Galster suggests, in making the deal? Was it gross
negligence? Or was it worse? Did he try to cover it up? Did he actually
benefit financially from the spreading of AIDS?
This could, indeed, turn out to be the biggest scandal ever to hit
the U.S. presidency -- if indeed Galster's got the goods. This one, if
proven true, will make Clinton wish he had resigned over the Monica
Lewinsky affair.
Remember where you read it first, folks.