Worldandnation: Mrs. Clinton's brother got paid for pardons

Mrs. Clinton's brother got paid for pardons

Hugh Rodham worked to gain clemency for two men, including herbal supplement marketer Glenn Braswell.

Compiled from Times wires

WASHINGTON -- Former President Bill Clinton's brother-in-law received hundreds of thousands of dollars to help get last-minute special presidential clemency for two convicts, and Clinton rushed to quell another brewing uproar late Wednesday.

Hugh Rodham, Hillary Rodham Clinton's brother, received about $400,000 for helping pave the way for a pardon for Glenn Braswell, a wealthy herbal supplement marketer convicted of fraud and tax evasion, and a prison commutation for Carlos Vignali, who was serving time on drug charges, Nancy Luque, Rodham's Washington attorney, confirmed Wednesday.

Clinton, in a statement issued late Wednesday, said he insisted Rodham, a Florida lawyer, return any money paid him by the two men.

"Neither Hillary nor I had any knowledge of such payments. We are deeply disturbed by these reports and have insisted that Hugh return any moneys received," he said.

"Hugh Rodham has done absolutely nothing wrong," Luque said in a statement late Wednesday. "He has returned these fees solely because his family has asked that he do so."

In a statement Wednesday night, Sen. Clinton said: "I was very disturbed to learn that my brother, Hugh Rodham, received fees in connection with two clemency applications. Hugh did not speak with me about these applications. I believe that the payments should be returned immediately, and I understand he has taken steps to do so."

The National Enquirer in this week's edition includes a photo of what is purported to be a document showing a transfer of $200,000 from Braswell's bank account in Canada to Rodham's firm, Rodham & Fine in Jacksonville. The Enquirer said Braswell did not begin seeking the pardon until Jan. 12 and that the request and testimonials were completed by Coffey on Jan. 17, three days before Clinton left office. Former Miami U.S. Attorney Kendall Coffey, Braswell's attorney, has not returned telephone calls seeking comment.

Rodham, a failed 1994 candidate for a U.S. Senate seat from Florida, had not told the Clintons about his involvement with Braswell or Vignali's requests, according to Luque.

Neither Braswell, Vignali nor their lawyers could be reached for comment.

Rodham's role in Clinton's controversial final days is the latest development in a story that has prompted up to three congressional investigations and enraged Democrats who think Clinton has squandered whatever good will he took with him after eight years in the White House.

Rep. Dan Burton, the Republican chairman of the House committee investigating Clinton's pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich, said the reports of Rodham's role in Clinton's last-minute clemency orders "is deeply disturbing." He said he would call Rodham before the committee.

"Yet again, this makes it look like there is one system of justice for those with money and influence, and one system of justice for everyone else," Burton said.

Burton sent a letter Wednesday evening to Rodham, demanding to know whether Rodham has represented any clients seeking executive clemency since 1992. He also asked whether Rodham or any member of his law firm was in touch with Clinton, the former first lady, or other White House personnel in order to "advocate a pardon or commutation."

Justice Department spokeswoman Chris Watney declined to comment Wednesday.

Braswell did not apply for his pardon through the Justice Department, but Vignali, son of a wealthy donor, did apply for his commutation through the department in August 1998. Watney refused to say whether the Justice Department recommended that Vignali, 30, be pardoned.

The Associated Press reported that Rodham's work on the two clemency matters involved gathering supporting documents for the application, lining up people to advocate the pardons and getting the information through channels to the Clinton administration. AP's source declined to identify those channels.

Rodham worked on Braswell's last-minute request for just a couple of weeks and worked on the Vignali case for several months, AP reported.

The Washington Post reported that Clinton aide Bruce Lindsey spoke with Rodham about Vignali but not Braswell. Lindsey does not recall whether he discussed the Vignali pardon with the president or informed him of his brother-in-law's involvement, the Post reported, citing a source familiar with the matter.

News of the payments to Clinton's brother-in-law comes as the former president continues to face criticism and investigations of his pardon of Marc Rich, a multimillionaire fugitive from charges of tax evasion whose former wife contributed heavily to the Clintons and the Democrats.

On Tuesday, former President Jimmy Carter, a fellow Democrat, lambasted Clinton in a speech at Georgia Southwestern State University.

"A number of them were quite questionable, including about 40 not recommended by the Justice Department.

"I don't think there is any doubt that some of the factors in his pardon (of Rich) were attributable to his large gifts. In my opinion, that was disgraceful."

In his statement, Clinton said nothing about what motivated him to pardon Braswell or commute Vignali's sentence.

Vignali's father, Horacio Vignali, is a wealthy Democratic contributor from Los Angeles.

Braswell's companies market a line of herbal remedies and supplement that its makers contend can slow aging, cure hereditary baldness and shrink prostate glands. Gero Vita Industries' marketing "rivals the worst," the editors of Consumer Reports wrote in 1998.

Braswell, 57, was convicted of fraud in the 1983 marketing of a baldness treatment. He had been sentenced to three years in prison and five years probation. Unlike Rich or Vignali's family, Braswell was not a Democratic donor. Instead he contributed $25,000 to George W. Bush's campaign and $150,000 to the Florida Republican Party.

The Bush camp and the party returned the money upon learning that Braswell was a felon.

Braswell was under a new investigation in what Los Angeles court documents called a "massive" tax evasion and money-laundering scheme.

Clinton's pardon will not stop the investigation, or any new criminal charges.

- Information from Knight Ridder, the Associated Press and the Washington Post was used in this report.