Hillary, Libby connected via Marc Rich

Though Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., hammered indicted ex-Cheney aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby, saying his alleged lying to a grand jury was "simply reprehensible," connections exist between the senator's husband, former President Bill Clinton, and the central figure in the CIA-leak probe via Marc Rich, the man who received an 11th-hour pardon from Clinton and who was represented by attorney Libby.

The Concord, N.H., Monitor points out Libby represented Rich during the '80s and '90s. Rich was the target of a 65-count indictment for various crimes, including trading with Iran amid the American hostage crisis and tax evasion. He was convicted in absentia on 51 counts.

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Libby reportedly collected $2 million in fees from Rich during the time he represented the financier, who fled the country rather than face the charges.

Around the time of Clinton's 2001 pardon of Rich, his wife, Denise, donated more than $1 million to Democratic causes, including $70,000 to Hillary Clinton's 2000 Senate campaign and $450,000 to the Clinton Foundation.

While Libby denied having any involvement in the pardon, the Monitor reported, he did call Rich Jan 22, 2001, to congratulate him on his good fortune.

"Libby's powerful presence inside the White House – his title was assistant to George W. Bush as well as chief of staff to Cheney – might help explain why the incoming Bush administration failed to pursue obvious threads of corruption trailing out of President Clinton's pardon of Rich and other dubious figures," the paper conjectured.

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Some see Hillary Clinton's denouncement of Libby as more than ironic, since Independent Counsel Robert Ray accused her of giving false testimony during his probe of the White House travel office. In addition, her husband was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives based in part on a plea bargain deal he made with Ray that included the admission he gave false testimony under oath to a federal grand jury about his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

Libby, who makes his first court appearance today, has said he will plead not guilty to all five charges pending against him.

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