White House smear machine still busy

You’ve all heard of “The Clinton Chronicles.” It’s a videotape
documentary exposing many of Bill Clinton’s crimes and cover-ups — even
before he reached Washington. What’s interesting about the video is that it
has sold hundreds of thousands of copies over the years without so much as a
wink or a nod from the establishment media.

But don’t think the big press hasn’t noticed little details like the
popularity of underground video documentaries and a growing anti-government
counterculture that has helped to disseminate them.

The Washington Post periodically runs a column by a reporter named David
Segal, who is closely associated with Williams & Connolly, the law firm
representing both the newspaper and President Clinton. In that column, Segal
has developed a recurring feature called “The Klayman Chronicles,” in which
he does his best to cast aspersions on the chairman of Judicial Watch,a group which has filed about two dozen suits
against the Clinton administration for various forms of corruption and
cover-up.

The administration has tried everything to silence Klayman and Judicial
Watch — even resorting to a $2 million bribe to drop its relentless
pressure for more information about Chinagate and the Commerce Department
scandals. The latest tactic of the White House smear machine is to use one
of its agent provocateurs in the press — Segal — to carry on the attacks.

There’s no question Segal is out to get Klayman — perhaps Clinton’s most
feared political adversary now that the lame duck president has survived
impeachment. Segal has previously published articles on Klayman that have
required retractions by the Post — retractions made under the supervision
of the Post’s top editors, Bill Hamilton and Leonard Downie.

Linda Tripp, you might recall, recently exposed Downie, during a
deposition to Judicial Watch, as the source of numerous “heads ups” at the
White House. In other words, Downie would give Clinton aide Bruce Lindsey a
call to warn him about scandal stories about to break in his own newspaper.
Hamilton is the husband of Jane Mayer of New Yorker magazine, who has been
sued by Judicial Watch client Dolly Kyle Browning.

Earlier this week, Segal was at it again. In his Monday column
Segal published yet another in a long line of disparaging articles about
a lawsuit involving Klayman’s dead grandmother, who raised him from birth.
It concerned Klayman’s effort to protect his dying grandmother, and to
restore money he says was taken by her stepson and daughter who had
abandoned her.

This report followed similar items in Newsweek
and
other Big Media outlets.

You’ve seen Larry Klayman on television talk shows. But in those
settings, Klayman’s agenda is to use the short amount of time he has to
dispense information about his vitally important work to bring corrupt
Clinton administration officials to justice. He seldom has time to divert to
defending himself or countering the vicious lies of the Clinton White House
or their lapdog friends in the establishment press — people like Segal.

I count Larry Klayman among a select group of personal friends — trusted
confidantes and national heroes. So I’m going to take some of my time and
use it to help set the record straight about Larry and his grandmother.

“The case concerning my grandmother started off as a life or death matter
involving her health care,” Larry explains. “When she died, it turned into a
matter of principle to pay the people who, along with my wife and I, cared
for her. Today, my stepfather and mother — who took her money and abandoned
her — capitulated just before trial, and agreed to pay $15,000 to settle
the case. This whole incident is a sad commentary on the lack of family
values in our society. As is true with the unborn, the elderly are
frequently exploited and cast off for convenience. In this case, when faced
with the prospect of trial, my stepfather and mother were forced to take
some responsibility. I had tried to settle the case repeatedly, but they
apparently thought that publicity generated by Clinton agents would get me
to back off. They were wrong, and if the Clintons think I will back off from
their misconduct, they, too, are wrong.”

That’s what I love about my friend, my confidante and my hero Larry
Klayman.