Many of you will dismiss their behavior but you shouldn't if you are truely for Campaign Finance reform.
<<<Campaign finance reform crusader Sen. John McCain should be outraged today, what with Friday night's ABC News "20/20" investigative report on new charges that Bill and Hillary Clinton continued to break current campaign finance laws right through last year's election.
Surely McCain's blood is boiling right now at news that the Clintons hid over $1 million in campaign contributions from federal election officials.
And undoubtedly the Arizona senator will want to interrogate for himself Hollywood producer Peter Paul, who gave "20/20's" Brian Ross a walking tour through stunning video footage of the Clintons hobnobbing with Hollywood's glitterati, as well as Mr. Paul and his wife, during the August 2000 multimillion-dollar gala fund-raiser he bankrolled with the unreported cash.
Certainly the irrepressible campaign finance reformer is planning a news conference right now to demand that the Ashcroft Justice Department hold the Clintons legally accountable for such a flagrant abuse of the campaign finance laws already on the books.
Or not.
In fact, if his past behavior is any indication, there won't be any McCain news conference or call for hearings or even an angry statement from the campaign finance reform champion on the new Clinton allegations.
Remember the Arizona maverick's GOP presidential primary campaign boast that he was going to "beat Al Gore like a drum" over Clinton-Gore campaign finance abuses in the fall campaign? McCain's vaunted drum beating never quite materialized - at least not against Clinton and Gore.
Old news, you say? Perhaps.
But what the Hollywood media mogul told "20/20" about the Clintons last night is hot off the presses.
"They took the money. They knew that it had a value to them. They promised to do certain things. They reneged on their promises," Paul claimed, in an interview that should have Sen. McCain's ears ringing.
Reporter Ross, who spent six weeks researching the story for "20/20," reported:
"In total [Paul] estimates he has canceled checks and other documents showing more than $1.5 million in direct and so-called in-kind contributions to support the Hillary campaign last year. Yet only about $500,000 of that appears in the federal election records filed for her campaign attributed to the various companies Paul is connected with."
Paul, who is now being represented by Judicial Watch, filed a civil lawsuit in connection with the fund-raiser in California state court last month.
"They knew I gave money," Paul told "20/20." "They knew approximately how much I gave. And then they put me in jeopardy by lying about the contribution to the federal government, to the people of New York - everybody."
The Hollywood producer detailed for "20/20" some of the expenses he covered for what was billed as "Hollywood's Farewell to Bill Clinton":
"I paid Wolfgang Puck $68,000 to cater the dinner. I paid for Cher's jet - I think it was $30,000. I paid for the tents, the invitations - there were a lot of things to pay for."
"The night brought in a huge windfall for the Hillary campaign, thanks in large part to the checkbook of Peter Paul," acknowledged "20/20."
ABC News also uncovered even more evidence of Clinton campaign finance lawbreaking.
"Seated right behind the Clintons [at the gala fund-raiser] was Japanese businessman Tendo Oto, an associate of Paul's who gave Paul $27,000 to attend the fund-raiser," Ross reported, noting that Oto's gift to the Clintons through Paul was illegal.
"Sure enough, two months later, there was Oto, attending the state dinner with the prime minister of India," Ross said, as "20/20" rolled a clip of the Japanese businessman strolling through the White House.
Just days after the August event, the Washington Post uncovered an ancient felony conviction on Paul's record. The Clintons' reaction? They returned $2,000 to Paul and suggested that was the totality of his contributions to Mrs. Clinton's campaign.
Paul told "20/20," "What they said was, 'Oh, who? Peter Paul - oh, I think he was a producer of the event. He gave the $2,000, we forgot about it. But we're sending it back. We wouldn't take any money from him."
When "20/20" confronted Mrs. Clinton directly on Paul's allegations, she told reporter Ross, "I'm just not going to comment on it. It's not anything that I'm going to have anything to say about."
What about Sen. McCain, who'll be on "Meet the Press" Sunday to complain that his campaign finance reform bill was shot down in the House last week? Will he have anything to say about Peter Paul's campaign finance allegations against Hillary? >>>
<<<Campaign finance reform crusader Sen. John McCain should be outraged today, what with Friday night's ABC News "20/20" investigative report on new charges that Bill and Hillary Clinton continued to break current campaign finance laws right through last year's election.
Surely McCain's blood is boiling right now at news that the Clintons hid over $1 million in campaign contributions from federal election officials.
And undoubtedly the Arizona senator will want to interrogate for himself Hollywood producer Peter Paul, who gave "20/20's" Brian Ross a walking tour through stunning video footage of the Clintons hobnobbing with Hollywood's glitterati, as well as Mr. Paul and his wife, during the August 2000 multimillion-dollar gala fund-raiser he bankrolled with the unreported cash.
Certainly the irrepressible campaign finance reformer is planning a news conference right now to demand that the Ashcroft Justice Department hold the Clintons legally accountable for such a flagrant abuse of the campaign finance laws already on the books.
Or not.
In fact, if his past behavior is any indication, there won't be any McCain news conference or call for hearings or even an angry statement from the campaign finance reform champion on the new Clinton allegations.
Remember the Arizona maverick's GOP presidential primary campaign boast that he was going to "beat Al Gore like a drum" over Clinton-Gore campaign finance abuses in the fall campaign? McCain's vaunted drum beating never quite materialized - at least not against Clinton and Gore.
Old news, you say? Perhaps.
But what the Hollywood media mogul told "20/20" about the Clintons last night is hot off the presses.
"They took the money. They knew that it had a value to them. They promised to do certain things. They reneged on their promises," Paul claimed, in an interview that should have Sen. McCain's ears ringing.
Reporter Ross, who spent six weeks researching the story for "20/20," reported:
"In total [Paul] estimates he has canceled checks and other documents showing more than $1.5 million in direct and so-called in-kind contributions to support the Hillary campaign last year. Yet only about $500,000 of that appears in the federal election records filed for her campaign attributed to the various companies Paul is connected with."
Paul, who is now being represented by Judicial Watch, filed a civil lawsuit in connection with the fund-raiser in California state court last month.
"They knew I gave money," Paul told "20/20." "They knew approximately how much I gave. And then they put me in jeopardy by lying about the contribution to the federal government, to the people of New York - everybody."
The Hollywood producer detailed for "20/20" some of the expenses he covered for what was billed as "Hollywood's Farewell to Bill Clinton":
"I paid Wolfgang Puck $68,000 to cater the dinner. I paid for Cher's jet - I think it was $30,000. I paid for the tents, the invitations - there were a lot of things to pay for."
"The night brought in a huge windfall for the Hillary campaign, thanks in large part to the checkbook of Peter Paul," acknowledged "20/20."
ABC News also uncovered even more evidence of Clinton campaign finance lawbreaking.
"Seated right behind the Clintons [at the gala fund-raiser] was Japanese businessman Tendo Oto, an associate of Paul's who gave Paul $27,000 to attend the fund-raiser," Ross reported, noting that Oto's gift to the Clintons through Paul was illegal.
"Sure enough, two months later, there was Oto, attending the state dinner with the prime minister of India," Ross said, as "20/20" rolled a clip of the Japanese businessman strolling through the White House.
Just days after the August event, the Washington Post uncovered an ancient felony conviction on Paul's record. The Clintons' reaction? They returned $2,000 to Paul and suggested that was the totality of his contributions to Mrs. Clinton's campaign.
Paul told "20/20," "What they said was, 'Oh, who? Peter Paul - oh, I think he was a producer of the event. He gave the $2,000, we forgot about it. But we're sending it back. We wouldn't take any money from him."
When "20/20" confronted Mrs. Clinton directly on Paul's allegations, she told reporter Ross, "I'm just not going to comment on it. It's not anything that I'm going to have anything to say about."
What about Sen. McCain, who'll be on "Meet the Press" Sunday to complain that his campaign finance reform bill was shot down in the House last week? Will he have anything to say about Peter Paul's campaign finance allegations against Hillary? >>>
