Blowing Hot, Dirty Air.
Hillary was none too pleased after Environmental Protection Agency Inspector General Nikki Tinsley released a report saying the White House "convinced" the EPA to add reassuring statements and delete cautionary ones in its early news releases after 9/11. Saying she knows "how White Houses work," Sen. Clinton accused the Bush Administration of misleading New Yorkers about air quality in lower Manhattan after the World Trade Center terrorist attack. She has called for a Senate probe into allegations the administration pressured regulators to give false reassurances about safety at Ground Zero. "I know a little bit about how White Houses work," she said at a City Hall press conference. "I know somebody in that White House, probably under instructions from somebody further up the chain, told the EPA, 'Don't tell the people of New York the truth.' And I want to know who that is." To that end, Hillary sent a letter to President Bush, cosigned by 2004 presidential aspirant Joe Lieberman and Rep. Jerry Nadler (D.-N.Y.), asking for more testing and for all communications between the White House and the EPA about air quality in lower Manhattan. The White House, for its part, referred calls to the President's Council on Environmental Quality, where officials "reject" the premise of Hillary's accusations. Court Rules Against HRC.
"Hillary Watch" readers may remember that a few months ago, Sen. Clinton strong-armed the Food and Drug Administration into requiring trials of all new drugs on pediatric populations as a condition of approval. Now the United States District Court in the Washington, D.C., has ruled that the FDA exceeded its authority by imposing these requirements. The court found that the FDA's and Hillary's new rule was "arbitrary and capricious," and "is therefore invalid." A doctor associated with the plaintiffs in the case said after the ruling that "Hillary Clinton's 'for the children' rationale for expanding government power has run out of steam. We're thrilled that a court has limited the FDA's power to delay new drugs, and children will ultimately benefit." Suit, Countersuit.
A couple of weeks ago, Democratic fund-raiser Denise Rich was accused of forcing an employee to contribute $2,000 to Hillary's 2000 Senate campaign. Now Mrs. Rich has filed a countersuit against fired music manager James Hester, accusing Mr. Hester and his attorney of breaching a confidentiality agreement. Her lawsuit also includes an injunction against Mr. Hester, to prevent him saying anything against Mrs. Rich. As for the donation allegation, her attorneys claim that it "served no purpose other than to harass and embarrass Denise Rich," yet she neither confirmed nor denied the charge in the court papers. Ironically, Mrs. Rich filed her lawsuit on the same day that Sen. Clinton announced she was giving back the contribution. "The money is being returned," said Clinton spokeswoman Jennifer Hanley. "Given the [Hester] complaint, we thought it was appropriate to give back the money." Hill Gets Energized.
Just a few days after blaming President Bush for the Blackout of 2003, Hillary sent a letter to the White House urging support for a congressional spending package to help those who suffered economic losses during last week's blackout. Citing estimates the blackout cost New York City $1 billion in overtime, lost business, and spoiled food, Hillary urged President Bush to make an emergency designation that would allow for federal reimbursement of emergency overtime costs throughout New York State. She also asked the White House to support a spending bill "to assist New York and other states who were severely impacted by the blackouts." Sen. Clinton also urged the Senate Energy Committee to come up with legislation that responds to the critical energy issues facing New York and the nation. Said Hill: "Being senator of New York, a state especially affected by the tremendous toll and costs, I want to see action taken by Congress and the Administration to do everything possible to prevent such breakdowns from ever recurring and to institute the policies and rules needed to generate and transmit reliable, affordable, and secure energy for the people of my state and the country." She then called for strict energy guidelines and harsh federal penalties for utilities that willfully ignore these rules.
