Justice for All

0 Comments | Insight on the News, August 14, 2000 | by Timothy W. Maier

Others charge that Lamberth is too slow on the draw when it comes to issuing subpoenas. For the last 18 months he has sat on a subpoena for first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton relating to her undeniable role in Filegate -- and there appears to be no rush to get it served. In court on July 17, Klayman told Lamberth the administration is beginning to see his court as a "joke," because it believes it can stonewall, lie and then get away with it. "Rather than gathering up the e-mail, they would rather do hit pieces on you," Klayman told the judge. "And the White House doesn't care if they have a bad article written about them [in the Washington Times or Insight]. So far that's the consequences of their acts -- bad articles. Now is the time for them to be held accountable. The future is now. It's got to be done now."

Klayman is furious that the White House has been trying to discredit Lamberth by distributing critical literature about the judge to reporters. The public-interest litigator says the typical White House tactic is to intimidate and threaten anyone who opposes the administration -- such as it did with Kathleen Willey, Linda Tripp and, most recently, White House computer expert Chip Sparks, who was removed from duties after making critical remarks concerning the withholding of the e-mail.

"The Clinton/Gore lawyers behave as if Lamberth were Rodney Dangerfield," Klayman says. "They show him no respect. They behave as if his courtroom were a joke even as he methodically hears evidence that shows how criminal this White House is. The American people owe Judge Lamberth a great debt because he is the only judge in the country to stand up to the White House. But he's still never held anyone personally responsible. He's got to take charge now and start sending some of these people to jail -- because that's where they belong."

While publicly the Clinton administration displays contempt for Lamberth with a smear campaign, privately the administration is terrified, says former congressional investigator Edward Timperlake, coauthor of Year of the Rat, a scathing account of the Chinagate scandals. Timperlake recalls that when he worked for former House Rules Committee chairman Gerald Solomon, a New York Republican, they tried to get the inspector general's report on the Clinton/Gore effort to undermine Tripp but got nowhere with the administration. Nonetheless, when Lamberth expressed interest in the report it shook the administration. "The Clinton administration is not afraid of Congress, but they sure are afraid of Judge Lamberth. They puckered. They trembled."

This judge may be tough and careful but he is scrupulously fair. Although Lamberth has ruled more often than not in favor of Klayman's lawsuits involving Filegate, Travelgate and the sale of trade missions, he also has slapped Klayman with a fine or two for stepping over the line. Now insiders say that ordering the first lady or Clinton, himself, to take the stand may be weighing heavily on Lamberth's mind as it did a quarter of a century ago when Sirica entertained thoughts of putting Nixon on the stand to testify. Lamberth may want to borrow a page from Sirica.