Hillary 'dismayed' by cash-for-pardons revelations

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said she ‘‘did not have any involvement’’ in the pardons her husband granted on his way out of the White House and expressed dismay that her brother was paid lavishly to lobby for the relief of two men.

‘‘If I had known about this, we wouldn’t have been standing here today,’’ the former First Lady said yesterday of her brother, lawyer Hugh Rodham, and the 400,000 (£275,000) he received from two pardon-seekers. Had she known, the Democratic senator added at a crowded news conference, ‘‘I might have been able to prevent this from happening.’’

Mrs Clinton spoke on a day in which President George W. Bush said he believes Congress has a right to investigate the pardons granted by Bill Clinton, and as the head of one congressional investigating committee said he would insist on ‘‘full compliance’’ with a subpoena for records from the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation.

The group, chartered to establish Clinton’s presidential library, received 450,000 (£310,000) in donations from Denise Rich, the ex-wife of fugitive financier Marc Rich, who was one of Clinton’s pardon recipients.

There were fresh disclosures during the day on top of Rodham’s involvement that Mrs. Clinton’s campaign treasurer had been paid £2,750 in legal fees to prepare two pardon applications that were sent to the Justice Department.

William Cunningham III said he had never contacted the White House about the cases, or spoken with either of the Clintons about them. Cunningham’s law partner is Clinton adviser Harold Ickes, but he too said he never spoke to the couple about the cases.

The former president’s office also confirmed that his half brother, Roger one of the 140 people pardoned on Clinton’s last day lobbied the president on behalf of several friends and associates who were seeking pardons. The president declined all of them.

‘‘Roger did ask the president to consider a list of less than 10 names of friends and acquaintances. None of those pardons were granted nor did he receive any money,’’ Clinton spokeswoman Julia Payne said. A Republican controlled House committee immediately demanded documents and answers.

Bush commented somewhat gingerly on the pardon issue, telling reporters he had other matters to attend to. Asked what advice he would offer his own relatives who include a former president and a sitting governor the president replied sharply: ‘‘My guidance to them is behave yourself and they will.’’

Mrs Clinton is struggling with an issue that has contributed to a drop in her popularity as well as her husband’s, and has overshadowed the beginning of her Senate career. Driven from her new home to her Senate office, she invited reporters to question her without so much as an introductory statement.

She declined to answer questions about the pardons themselves, or whether her husband should appear voluntarily before Congress to answer questions about them.

As for herself, she said: ‘‘You know, I did not have any involvement in the pardons that were granted or not granted.’’ As for her brother’s actions, she said: ‘‘I’m just very disappointed.’’

She said she had heard rumours surrounding the pardon decisions, but nothing firm until Monday night, when she was informed her brother had been paid for his work on behalf of a prison commutation request of Carlos Vignali and the pardon of Almon Glenn Braswell.

"I was just heartbroken and shocked by it,’’ She said: ‘‘And, you know, immediately said it was a terrible misjudgment and the money had to be returned.’’ Rodham returned the money to the families of the men after the Clintons urged him to.

The former first lady responded differently to questions about her campaign treasurer. She described Cunningham as a ‘‘fine lawyer and a fine man. ... Lawyers from all over the country were involved in these matters.’’