10 years and $21 Mil, but Bush keeps trying
Clinton-Era Coverup on Cisneros Is Alleged
Special Counsel Ends 10-Year Probe
By Dan Eggen and Albert B. Crenshaw
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, January 20, 2006; Page A01
More than a decade and $21 million after it began, the final and longest-running independent counsel investigation in U.S. history ended yesterday with allegations from the prosecutor that "a coverup at high levels of our government" prevented him from bringing further charges in the case of Henry G. Cisneros, former secretary of housing and urban development.
In a 474-page report, independent counsel David M. Barrett conceded that he was "not able to say with certainty whether any criminal laws were broken" by government officials in his inquiry of possible tax violations by Cisneros. But he alleged that officials in the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service "resisted our efforts to investigate" the possibilities.
Henry Cisneros, right, with President Bill Clinton, was indicted on 18 felony charges but pleaded guilty in 1999 to a single misdemeanor of making false statements. Clinton eventually pardoned him. (By J. Scott Applewhite -- Associated Press)
The report itself does not appear to include clear evidence of obstruction, however. Many officials named in the investigation angrily denied Barrett's accusations in written rebuttals attached to the document.
"Mr. Barrett conjured up a far-fetched theory of a wide-reaching government conspiracy to justify prolonging his tenure for another six years," wrote Susan J. Park, a trial lawyer in the Justice Department's public integrity section. "He has nothing to show for his efforts. If Mr. Barrett is serious about exploring the issue of integrity, he should examine his own."
The investigation began in May 1995 after Cisneros's former mistress, Linda Medlar, accused him of lying to the FBI about money he gave her. Cisneros was eventually indicted on 18 felony charges but pleaded guilty in 1999 to a single misdemeanor of making false statements. He paid a $10,000 fine and was later pardoned by outgoing president Bill Clinton in January 2001.