Chapter 11 Mr. President's Trouble

Brother Lu: Hello! I will continue writing the last letter.Talk about Clinton's four-year presidency. As you have seen in the last letter, President Clinton is indeed different from his predecessor in various aspects. You can even say that it is difficult to find a contradiction between productivity and communication forms like Clinton. It must be sought from production. Before being elected, all kinds of defects were exposed, and after being elected, troubles continued, and even the small people sued them in court and got involved in civil lawsuits.When he ran for president again four years later, by all accounts, Clinton looked much older.

The reason why Clinton was predicted to step into some kind of "gate" like "Watergate" before long, I think, is also related to people's judgment of his imprint of the times.He did not come from an era of strict style and very stable values.Although most Americans tolerated his various weaknesses, his weaknesses did not disappear.You can see some clues in the group of White House advisers around him.You may not be able to say anything accurate, but the large group of young and slightly impetuous consultants always makes people feel uneasy. When you introduced Nixon, you already know that White House advisers are the little prerogative of the president, a small team that he can arrange by himself.For some people, this is a shortcut to a career journey, so some ambitious, or ambitious, smart young people flock to it.Ambition and ambition are one word in English, and such a language arrangement seems to make sense.

The way they go down this road is generally to help elections.That is, when the president was not yet the president, he made suggestions and desperately tried to push the president to the top.That is, those similar roles in the "Presidential Re-election Committee" when Nixon was fighting for re-election.Of course physicists and astronomers.He was a priest and a professor at the Royal Academy of France.Observe that campaigning itself is part of the normal process of campaigning.However, this part is very flexible.You can be a man of integrity fighting for your own and the ideals of your party, a speculator full of selfish desires, or something in between.Due to the potential "high efficiency" of this position, there are not only one or two people who come here with ulterior motives.

Ultimately, the style of the entire campaign and the White House thereafter, the president's personal style, is the deciding factor.Clinton's White House during his first term certainly did not give the impression of a rigorous style to the outside world.This kind of atmosphere gives people a feeling of unreliability.Therefore, after the opposition party made the prediction, they almost couldn't wait to wait there for Clinton's advisers to send him out of the "door". It should be said that their hopes were not completely disappointed.For them, Clinton's White House "good news" is frequent.Now, when Clinton is facing re-election again, we can really count on our fingers a series of mysteries in the White House that have been called "gates".

I remember that not long after Clinton took office, a "travel door" popped up. There is a travel office in the White House, which is responsible for various travel arrangements for the entourage of the president during his visits.This is transactional and very cumbersome work.They have to deal with a large number of commercial institutions.The trivial arrangement details make it impossible for them to contact all aspects by themselves, so they outsource some business to some commercial service companies. When I went to Washington for the first time, looking at the office buildings of government agencies, I couldn't help blurting out: How many people do they feed!I'm not thinking of the workers in the buildings who are supported by government jobs, but that there must be many small commercial companies around these buildings.Therefore, like the officials in the White House travel room, they have more than a lot of business in their hands. In the eyes of those small companies, the travel room is their lifeline.

In the United States, this is extremely common.Because government agencies do not engage in business operations.Let alone a small travel business, sending a rocket to the moon is not a key project run by the US government.All its parts will be customized to various private companies, and all business will still fall into the hands of private companies. This kind of public-private handover point has always been a headache for many countries, and even some economically developed countries cannot be "exempt".Japan, South Korea and other countries are countries where such scandals frequently break out.Looking back, there are indeed very few such problems in the United States.In my impression, the waste problem of American government agencies is far more serious than its corruption problem.This is certainly not because the United States is better able to hide any scandals, because according to the state of the news here, if there is a problem, this is one of the most difficult countries in the world to hide.

So, how did the Americans achieve a very clean government administration?I remember when I was in China, I heard a saying that such integrity is maintained by the high salaries of civil servants.I was also skeptical at the time.Because after thinking about it, it makes sense, and I don't want to accept bribes if I earn enough.However, I feel that this statement does not solve my doubts.Because no matter how high the salary is, it cannot be compared with the order of magnitude of windfall.Moreover, earning a salary is a matter of hard work and years of work.The one-and-done gain must still be very attractive.Otherwise, why are there still so many civil servants buying lottery tickets?

After coming here, the answer to the question is very simple.There is nothing terribly wrong with the preceding statement.Government servants do have a very stable life.The wages are not very high, or even lower than the same type of private sector jobs.However, the income is guaranteed and the benefits package is very good.In a word, first, after having such a job, he would never take any risk because of poverty.Second, most of the staff of government agencies still want to work hard and keep such a job. However, this is not the root cause of the fundamental integrity of government agencies.The root cause lies in the "restriction mechanism".Ninety-nine to one, it was the smart "cash register" that stopped the hand reaching out to the cash box. The "balance and check" mechanism not only supervises and limits the abuse of power at the highest level, but also ensures that power at all levels is not abused.Strict rules and regulations, perfect supervision and sound judiciary make it difficult for those who want to swallow a mouthful of oil and water to swallow.

In retrospect, I found a very interesting phenomenon.That is, if we think about the major cases that were exposed by the press after we came to the United States, the staff of the US government agencies took black money, mainly a few cases of CIA employees serving as double agents.In the intelligence system, due to the particularity of their work, there are relative opportunities for staff to occasionally drift outside the restrictive mechanism.As long as the supervision is lost or loosened, although the staff of such an institution are relatively more strictly selected and have received more "ideological education", the characteristic of "people are unreliable" will soon be revealed. .

Let's go back to the White House travel office.Such a transactional organization that has nothing to do with political parties is often unmanned when the White House changes owners.No matter which party is in power, they still do the same job, arranging travel for the rotating presidents, so they are all old employees of the White House.Some of them even started working here during the Kennedy era.But shortly after Clinton took office, seven employees, including the director, were fired from the office in one fell swoop.The reason for the dismissal was that the financial operations of this office were not in compliance with regulations.

This is a relatively euphemistic statement. Its subtext may simply violate the financial system, or it may damage the public interest, because the government's money is the tax money of the people.It is also possible that they used their power for personal gain.If this is the case, this is definitely a "big economic case" in the United States. As I have said before, government jobs are generally relatively stable.Those who work in government agencies, who doesn't want to have a stable and stable life from now on.What's more, those working hours have been very long, and some have been promoted to the position of supervisor step by step. Who doesn't want to work until retirement and have a perfect work experience.therefore.For the seven of them, this was undoubtedly a bolt from the blue. As you may have noticed, this time it's not an issue raised by a watchdog outside the executive branch of government, it's a White House attacking its own staff.I remember that when Clinton was campaigning, he promised that after he took office, the United States would have the cleanest government administration.So, did Clinton strictly monitor his subordinates in order to fulfill his promise? The White House announced such a "big economic case", which of course immediately attracted widespread attention.Who knows, the seven travel office workers who were dismissed kept shouting for grievances there.In turn, they seem to want to "turn back" and accuse the executive branch presided over by Clinton for abusing their power to remove them from office.In this way, everyone was confused all of a sudden. Only two months after the incident, Frost, a White House adviser who participated in the firing of seven travel room employees and a childhood friend of Clinton, suddenly robbed himself in the White House.Although judging from his last words and various signs, it is shown that he passed away because he could not bear the tension and pressure and was tired of life.However, even if Foster's cause of death was indeed as announced by the White House, at least his death was too inappropriate.He died at this juncture, can people not be suspicious?The timid guess is that Foster committed suicide in fear of guilt because he participated in a certain conspiracy, and the bold simply suspect that he was "killed" by the White House.There was a mess all of a sudden. The death of White House adviser Foster has cast an almost doleful cloud of suspicion on the already controversial dismissal of the White House travel office.Although the investigation into the behavior of those tour room employees had not yet come to a conclusion, there was a tendency to think of the incident in terms of a "White House conspiracy," or at least a "White House abuse of power."The incident thus became a "travelgate" in the newspapers.At this time, it was less than half a year since Clinton took office. At this time, the Clinton White House tried its best to clarify that Foster's suicide was an isolated incident and had nothing to do with the various operations of the White House.On the other hand, it is also claimed that Dell, the director of the White House Travel Office, has embezzled public funds. Things have come to this point, you must have guessed what will happen next.Yes, just like Nixon's "Watergate case", which finally triggered a formal investigation of the White House by the legislative branch of the government, the House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform and Oversight. Meanwhile, the FBI, under President Clinton's administration, was simultaneously conducting various criminal investigations into seven former Travel Office employees.The IRS under the executive branch also began to audit their previous work.These seven former White House employees not only lost their old jobs, but also entered a very difficult period in their lives.Although they used to work in the White House, they were actually far outside the political circle, just ordinary civil servants.They all lead very peaceful and simple lives of ordinary Americans.Now, without any mental preparation, they have become "public figures" overnight.They were forced to be in the newspapers frequently, and each was forced to hire a lawyer for himself. Such extra expenses almost made each of them deeply in debt. The FBI conducted strict interrogation on them according to the procedure.Ultimately, Dell, the former director of the travel office, was referred by the executive branch's Justice Department to the judicial branch's courts to indict him on embezzlement charges. We don't need to use much brains at this time to figure it out.From the standpoint of the White House, whether the White House can clear itself in the congressional investigation depends on a fundamental key, that is, whether there is really a problem with the seven staff members fired by the White House, at least whether there is a problem with any of them.If the answer is yes, under such a premise, whether it is "White House conspiracy" or "White House abuse of power", all allegations against the White House will be self-defeating.However, if these seven people are all innocent, then even if the White House is not called a "conspiracy", at least there is no doubt about the "abuse of power" there. So, you must ask, so it seems that in this case, the Clinton administration may have a strong motive to "frame civilians"?Yes, the answer is yes.Although assuming this is a branch of power led by a president of integrity and good character, then, even if this firing should not have happened, they may be realistic and not persecute innocent civilians in an attempt to cover up the wrongs they have already committed .However, you have to remember the American saying: the president is unreliable.Therefore, if what you are asking is just a possibility, then the "motivation" of the White House to "frame" these seven staff members is entirely possible. The further problem must be that since the president is unreliable, and since this branch of government is likely to have a strong incentive to frame, this branch of power is so powerful that it owns the FBI, it has the Justice Department, it has taxpayer money. With huge wealth, how can these seven unarmed civilians protect themselves from being framed?In trying to solve this problem, we find ourselves inevitably going back to the mechanism of the "cash register", to the principle of "balance and checks", to the "Bill of Rights" as the ten amendments to the US Constitution. Precisely because the power of the US government is divided.Therefore, even if the executive agency led by the president really wants to harm a civilian for some reason, they will not be able to stab the civilian to the end and put the civilian to death.The Justice Department and the FBI can investigate this civilian, but first, they cannot fabricate or forge evidence, and second, they cannot interpret the evidence arbitrarily.Because the power to judge and interpret evidence has been taken away by the Constitution and is no longer in their hands. These latter powers have been assigned to the judicial branch, and the most critical step is to determine whether the evidence can be prosecuted, and whether it can be found guilty after prosecution. These two "fatal" steps, even if it is the judicial branch of government power None of the court officials has any say. These two important powers belong to the grand jury and the jury, which represent the American people. Therefore, when Dell, the removed director of the White House Travel Office, was accused of two cases of embezzlement of public funds by the Department of Justice, which is the executive branch, and was transferred to the court, no matter whether the White House at that time really had the motive to frame him, no matter what evidence they presented After they sent everything to the court and formed the grand jury, according to the US Constitution, they and the defendant Dell were no longer in the relationship of "officers, soldiers and robbers".The provisions of the U.S. Constitution that protect defendants put them on equal footing from the moment they walk through the court's door.Prosecutors from the Department of Justice can of course present their evidence to the grand jury, and the defendant Dale also has his lawyers to provide evidence of his innocence to the grand jury.After a fair hearing presided over by a judge, all that remains is the grand jury's verdict. In the United States, cases like this one initiated by the government are subject to extraordinarily serious review by the grand jury.No matter where these jurors come from, given the education they have received since childhood, they all deeply understand that individuals are insignificant in front of the power of government agencies. The reason why the American people need them here today is to prevent individual rights from being violated by the government. violation. The public and the White House are anxiously awaiting the grand jury's verdict in the high-profile lawsuit.As we covered in Nixon's Watergate scandal, grand jury hearings prior to indictment were held in secret.Therefore, nothing came out during the hearing.After the lengthy hearing, the grand jury only spent two hours deliberating and announced that the evidence provided by the prosecution was insufficient and the defendant was exempted from indictment.In this way, the Ministry of Justice worked hard to collect evidence to bring Dell to court, and the grand jury released him with a wave of his hand! As I write this, I can't help but think of the emotions I felt when I sat in the library and read the materials about the "Watergate Incident" and covered the books. I think, with regard to the "Watergate Incident", the ones I can best understand are probably extreme rightist fanatics like Li Di.Such people have produced such behavior, which seems to fit their behavior pattern very well.And what I didn't understand the most was a group of upper-level figures like former Attorney General Mitchell and Nixon.Because such clear illegal acts do not seem to conform to the behavioral logic of such a class. But later, I figured it out.There, there is finally a desire ahead that attracts them, and power is alluring.Power can induce some people to use power beyond the rules, and it also induces them to use power to obtain greater power.But in front of an upper-class group that expands its desire for power, there are always a group of ordinary jurors who symbolize the American people. You must still remember that when the "Watergate Incident" judge Silica was the most difficult to resist, the one who could support him morally and legally was the grand jury that symbolized the people. When I read all the "Watergate Incident" materials that day, there were almost no people in the bright hall of the library. As far as I could see from the window, there was a green grass and clusters of violet and white flowers. , the light gray large glass curtain wall softens the sunlight, time and space seem to stop, turning into a hazy landscape painting.However, when I finally came out of the "Watergate Incident" and suddenly returned to a quiet summer, my heart could not calm down for a long time. I used to faintly feel that there seemed to be something missing in these materials?At the moment when I covered my papers and looked up, I finally realized that what I had been looking forward to was to be able to read the information about jurors introduced in these books, but there was none. want to know the situation.Who are they, where do they come from, and where are they going?nothing.Not even the names of those jurors appear anywhere. I suddenly understood, perhaps, this is the meaning of the jury system.They are not playing a role, they are fulfilling the civic duties of an American citizen.They are Americans in the most ordinary sense.No matter in what era, there are many ordinary people in the United States who come to such a jury seat and sit there in silence with no expression on their faces.At last, having done their duty, they went home in silence, and went on with their usual lives.Whether they are individuals or the sum of their history, they all represent the power of the American people. They have continuously and effectively prevented the possible expansion of the power of the US government for two hundred years, and have written one after another in American history. .They protect the freedom and rights of others, and at the same time, they also protect the freedom and rights of themselves and their children.However, you can't find their names in the books, they are just jurors. I think that if Dell, the former director of the White House Travel Office, is innocent, he will not easily admit defeat and give up when he is sent to the court by the White House as a defendant in a criminal case.In a country with a sound legal system, he doesn't have to think that since he is brought to court by such a powerful opponent, he will definitely lose.Facts have been proven once again. Anyway, one thing is beyond doubt, that is, the grand jury in the United States is independent.On the street, these jurors are as vulnerable as all ordinary people, but in the courtroom, they can even stop the president and the White House.This is what a mechanism does. Such a design ultimately comes from a simple "cash register" principle, that is, the president can be unreliable, but the system must be reliable. At the same time, the Clinton White House resumed its familiar dealings with Congressional investigations from the "Watergate" scandal.These include citing executive privilege and refusing to hand over relevant documents to the House of Representatives investigative committee. Executive privilege is also an important part of the separation of powers.That is, after the administrative branch is separated, it must maintain its independence in handling administrative matters and ensure that its normal work will not be interfered by other branches.This is true not only of the administrative branch, but also of other branches, whose separation and independence are the basis of the principle of "balance and check".Therefore, although the other two branches have supervisory power over the executive branch, this does not mean that they can freely access the documents of the White House system.Therefore, for any documents that the White House does not want to produce in a congressional investigation, the first move of the White House lawyer must be to "invoke executive privilege. However, since the "Watergate incident", this shield is usually only temporarily resisted for a while, delaying for some time, it is difficult to really play the role of "defending arrows".Because, with regard to the congressional investigation of the White House, all possible problems and solutions have been practiced several times in the "Watergate Incident". So, will the "Travelgate incident" affect this year's general election?Of course it is influential. Because, in the hottest days of this year's general election, Congress's investigation of "Travelgate" is still proceeding step by step.And at this critical moment, under the threat of "contempt of Congress", the White House handed over 2,000 typed documents and handwritten notes that were very detrimental to the White House.The documents deal with the dismissal of White House travel office staff and the suicide of White House adviser Frost.The documents were also released to the press at the same time, and reporters crowded the old executive building of the White House excitedly to hunt for treasure in a hodgepodge of documents. After the release of these documents, Congress not only claimed that they had found evidence of the White House obstructing the investigation, but also claimed that they had found strong evidence of First Lady Hillary's involvement in the "Travelgate Incident".And this has been just rumors from the outside world. As we have said before, the president's wife is traditionally equivalent to the president's private secretary. This secretary does not get paid. The important thing is that she does not have an administrative position.So, if she is inappropriately involved in the appointment and removal of White House staff, of course it could be said that the power of the White House is being abused. After the "travel gate incident", one of the staff of the travel office who was replaced was a close relative of the president's family, which made people feel "suspicious". At this time, Clinton accidentally hit another nail at a White House press conference.When he walked into the Rose Garden of the White House excitedly, wanting to show his political achievements with the good news of economic growth at a time when the election campaign was still raging, a reporter from a major TV station suddenly asked him whether he would "keep his promise" , supporting a bill in Congress to reimburse former travel office director Dale for his legal expenses. I thought the reporter must have made a mistake.Clinton did not make such a promise, but the outside world has been rumored that Clinton will support the bill.Normally, Clinton would just make a corrective clarification, because, for the sake of his own image, no politician would want to get mad at a reporter in public. However, this time, a scoop of cold water not only extinguished his good mood, but also finally extinguished his patience.He pulled his face down in front of the TV recorder and lost his temper.Immediately, the headlines on every TV station were scenes of Clinton getting angry.Although Clinton apologized afterwards and explained that he had not had a good rest for a long time and was overtired.However, you can also see that Clinton would never have imagined what kind of trouble he would cause himself by firing seven small staff. The House of Representatives Investigation Committee held a hearing on the "travelgate" as usual.You must have been familiar with the format of Congressional hearings in the "Watergate Incident".This time, the seven former White House travel office employees who were fired have all been called for a hearing.This is really one of the scenes that Clinton does not want to see at the time of this year's election: these well-dressed civil servants who have been employees of the White House for almost all their lives, in the hearings broadcast to the people of the country, led by the tall Dale, all in unison Raise your hands and swear that what they say next is the truth.Next, they seem to finally Seeing such an opportunity, I began to vomit bitterness.One of them even said that he firmly believed that "the executive branch has not let me go." Congress's investigation into "Travelgate" has not yet concluded, the Internal Revenue Service's audit has not yet concluded, and Clinton's lawyers have repeatedly questioned the grand jury's verdict of innocence against Dell.So it should be said that although Dell was acquitted, the incident has not yet been finalized.But Clinton's outburst at the press conference made me really suspect for the first time that he knew he was wrong.Because, he left me with the feeling of "angry from embarrassment".Personal feelings are of course unreliable, but the reason why I want to write about my feelings here is to tell you that this is one of the ways people judge.So, this is one of the effects on the general election. At any rate, pictures of the former travel office employee sworn in at the hearing were immediately on the front pages of every newspaper.On the occasion of the general election, what could be more beautiful than this? However, what Clinton didn't think of was still to come. A "travel gate" actually dragged out another "archive gate" incidentally, and it seemed to be more troublesome.What's going on here? This is still this summer.The investigation committee of the House of Representatives, in the process of investigating the "travelgate", also found that the White House had reviewed Dell's confidential background files with the FBI a few months after firing the director of the travel office.As this clue was dragged on, it was discovered that the White House Security Room had overstepped the authority of the White House during this period and had obtained 408 files of former Republican government officials from the FBI, 17 of which were even It has not been returned yet.It included material from some prominent Republicans and was also reviewed by the White House.As soon as the news hit the newspaper, it immediately caused an uproar. This access to archives incident was immediately called the "Archives Gate" as soon as it came out.Because, this is too reminiscent of the "Watergate Incident".Of course, people must first ask, what is the purpose of the White House transferring these files?Klinger, chairman of the House of Representatives Investigation Committee responsible for investigating "Travelgate", is a Republican.He and other Republicans were quick to declare that the White House's move to access the files was, at best, the latest example of misbehavior and folly in the Clinton administration.At worst, it's a conspiracy to find disgraceful information about Republican political opponents. Since access to these files is an illegal act beyond the authority, if it is really a "sleuth" against the Republican Party for the purpose of the election, then it is the same as the "Watergate Incident" of slipping the door and breaking into the opponent's office , and what is the essential difference?If a group of people under Nixon could easily obtain the information they wanted through the FBI, why did they take the risky and embarrassing "Operation Watergate"? No wonder the Republicans reacted so strongly when the "Dossier Gate" came out.When Nixon capsized in the "Watergate Incident", it brought a historic humiliation to the Republican Party.Now the White House of the Democratic Party Clinton actually took the lead, directly using the FBI to illegally obtain information on the opponent party, which is too carried away.Republican presidential candidates immediately compared the incident in public to Nixon's nefarious act of collecting "political enemy lists" in the 1970s. As soon as the incident happened, everyone immediately saw that such a thing was only made possible by "consensus".The reason why Nixon came up with his own set of "Plumbers" and other "White House investigative agencies" was because the FBI basically did not cooperate with the White House's illegal operations and was forced to do so.Therefore, it is not so much that there is a problem with the White House, as it is that there is something wrong with the White House and the FBI. As for the White House, Clinton immediately apologized and said that he is willing to take full responsibility as president, but what responsibility is he taking?The White House said it was an "inadvertent administrative error" and that the president was willing to "take responsibility for mismanagement."Later, the White House further announced that from now on, background checks must be subject to the consent of the person being investigated. And the FBI's response could almost be described as "offense as defense."Foley, the director of the FBI, not only quickly revealed the number, date and some details of the White House's illegal access to files "without reasonable explanation", but also accused the White House of "excessive violation of privacy rights".Director Foley also stated in the statement that there is such a system, that is, when necessary, files are given priority to the White House.But the system is premised on the "honesty and honor" of the White House, he argues, "unfortunately, both the FBI and himself have been victims." or deliberate abuse," Director Foley immediately ordered that the FBI would adopt a wide range of reforms to avoid a repeat of the same mistakes.He vowed: "I assure the American people that under my supervision, this will not happen again." In the "Watergate Incident", we have already mentioned that the FBI is a so-called "Federal Independent Agency", although if you follow the clues, it is still a subordinate of the White House, and it is under the Department of Justice, the executive branch.However, it is not the Ministry of Justice or the White House, the highest level of the executive branch. If you want to establish such an institution, you can announce the establishment by yourself. This type of "federal independent agency" is relatively special in terms of power structure.Their "birth certificates" are issued by Congress.When they were "born", they were all given charters by Congress, and these charters became their most important code of conduct.Similarly, only Congress has the right to issue their "death certificates" and declare their dissolution.So their lifeblood is in the hands of Congress. Of course, the FBI's archives are originally an information center for various agencies to inquire when necessary.But no agency, not even the White House, has the authority to access FBI files, let alone rival party members on such a large scale, without good reason. The reason is that in the United States, as we all know, the taboo of the executive branch is that the White House and the FBI get too close, because this is the kind of collusion that Americans and Congress are most worried about.Once such collusion occurs, in their view, it is only a matter of time before the United States becomes a dangerous "police state".Therefore, as an FBI director, if he wants to continue to work in his position, his key is not to cater to his superiors on administrative leads, such as the Department of Justice or the White House, but that he must strictly abide by The charter established by Congress keeps an appropriate distance from the White House. In this way, you can easily understand the position of the FBI director when the "dossier" came out.His efforts are trying to show the distance between him and the White House in front of everyone and Congress. As for the reason for the "archive door", the White House's statement is obviously a temporary tactic.The matter has already happened, and it will definitely not work if you don't come out to express your opinion. No matter whether people believe it or not, you have to come out to block it first.I think the Clinton White House must know that such a statement is of no avail.Because, even if it is an "unintentional administrative negligence", why, all the wrong files are read by the Republicans, and there are so many files.At least, the Republican Party will never be satisfied with the explanations and apologies from Clinton and the White House. "Dossier Gate" doesn't even need to spend extra time in Congress to discuss and pass whether to set up an investigative committee and hold hearings.Because the "Archives Gate" came out incidentally during the investigation of the "Travel Gate".The original investigative committee of the House of Representatives only needed to "investigate once and twice".Therefore, it can be said that as soon as the "Dossier Gate" came out, the formal investigation and hearings in Congress began immediately.Since the "archive door" seems to be no small matter, the Judiciary Committee of the Senate of Congress also held a hearing soon. After the White House bluffed and robbed, it also knew that it had to put forward a more substantive statement, otherwise it would be very difficult to pass.So, they immediately came up with a plausible explanation for the misaligned files. 白宫宣称，之所以会发生这样的情况，是因为，白宫的人事安全室需要查阅进出白宫者的背景，这是一种正常调阅。可是又如何解释，事实上这些人并没有在这段时间内都要进入白宫呢？白宫进一步解释说，白宫人事安全室向联邦调查局调阅“出入白宫者”档案，通常是根据美国特勤局所提供的持有“白宫出入证”者的名单。而毛病是出在特勤局，他们的电脑提供了一份过时的名单，因此，错调档案的事情就这么发生了。 国会参院司法委员会的听证会，又是向公众转播的，我们也恰巧看了那天的听证。在这个听证会上，美国特勤局助理局长断然否认白宫的这种说法。首先，他说，白宫所说的特勤局的电脑提供了一份“过时名单”，那是绝对不可能的。因为他们的电脑资料最多三天就更新一次，根本不存在“过时”的问题。 再说，这位助理局长宣称，他们的电脑对于“出入白宫者”的记录系统“很复杂，也很难说明”，但是，经过他们的彻底调查之后，发现特勤局的电脑根本就不可能提供这样一份名单。 在同一个听证会上，一些背景档案被白宫调阅的人，也出来作证，表达他们个人隐私受到侵犯的愤怒心情。其中有一些是原共和党总统的助理。例如前总统布什的助理格博就表达了他对政府行政分支的“欺骗行为”感到失望。另一名布什的助理卡罗说，当年受雇于联邦政府，在联邦调查局作背景调查的时候，她回答了那些最涉及个人隐私的问题，现在，她发现这些资料居然不能按照规定保密，这使她感到极为愤恨。 侵犯个人隐私权，就是侵犯公民权的违宪行为，这种认识成为每一个人与自由概念密切相连的公共常识，这也是美国长年累月的教育的结果。这种概念，在美国确实是比在其它一些国家要强得多。 在“档案门”发生的时候，我们正好有一个朋友来访，当时正在亚特兰大奥运会前夕，于是，平时十分单调的亚特兰大市，也就成了一个旅游热点。而真的要去玩的话，这个城市可玩的地方还真是不多。于是我们来到了美国的全国有线电视新闻网，因为这个闻名世界的由特纳创办经营的电视网，它的总部正是在亚特兰大。在美国，所有的这些电视台，新闻中心都是私营的，节目好坏全看主持人的水平和临场发挥。在他们组织的一些“谈论节目”中主持人见机行事，轻松自如，有相当大的发挥余地。 这个电视新闻网的总部从外面看，是一幢并不起眼灰秃秃的大楼，里面的中庭却十分壮观。办公室都是大玻璃面对中庭，所以参观者可以看到不少他们的工作过程。如果你花钱买票的话，也可以一直进入内部，站在离那些著名的节目主持人三，四米的地方，看他们最有名的“新闻提要”节目的现场播音。我们进去参观的这些人都来自世界各地。对于我们来讲，也就是慕名而来看个稀罕。 可是，在我们回到大中庭的时候，我发现在中庭里布置了一个演播场，这个演播场只用简单的围栏围起来。这时，我才知道，原来著名的“众说纷纭”节目，就是在这个到处有游客在旁边走来走去的开敞的演播场里现场直播的。这真是一个大胆的主意，一个非常具有挑战性的设想。 这个演播场用先进的设备，保证与外界，例如首都华盛顿，请到的一些知名人士的现场对话。然后，它需要的就是参与“众说纷纭”的观众了。每天，一早开始，就有两个年轻人站在演播场的门口，向在大厅里参观游荡的人们介绍今天“众说纷纭”节目的议题，一般都是当前与美国有关的，有争议的重大事件或时事新闻。希望人们能够参加当天的现场直播节目。他们发票给愿意参加的人们，票子是免费的。 那天的议题，就是“档案门”。可惜，我们还要赶当天下午离开亚特兰大的飞机，所以，没有能够参加。但是在我们离开那里之前，当天“众说纷纭”的节目就已经开始了。 场内已经坐了满满的一场人。现场有很大的电视屏幕，屏幕上是被邀请当场回答大家问题的有关人士。我记得那天有千里之外的联邦调查局的高级官员。我趁着我的朋友在大厅礼品店选礼物的时候，站在演播场的外围看了一会儿。 这是现场直播，场内参与讨论的人们，就是那一天象我们一样，偶而来到这个有线电视新闻网参观的民众。这些人不仅来自全美各地，甚至来自世界各地。他们真可谓是“众说纷纭”，想说什么说什么。 当时正谈到“档案门”事件中，对于白宫违规调阅所引起的侵犯个人隐私权问题的看法。一名来自瑞典的年轻人说，我觉得这并不是什么了不起的事情，既然政府部门已经留存了你的档案，本来就是要被人查的，谁查都一样，白宫无疑是最有理由查阅的部门。主持人马上问他，那么如果是你自己遇到了这样的事情，你怎么想呢？那个瑞士年轻人回答说，我不在乎，我觉得自己也没什么见不得人的事情，档案要是需要查，那就看吧。 只见他话音刚落，现场马上举起一片手来。被主持人叫起来的一个美国女孩子马上激动地说，那怎么行，我也没有什么见不得人的事，可是我就是不愿意发生这样的事情，保留隐私是我的权利。 三个月以后，就有一个就做“司法观察”的监督组织，代表五位前白宫低级职员，提出了一项要求九千万美元赔偿的集体民事诉讼。指控对象从克林顿，第一夫人希莱利，到联邦调查局和其他几个前白宫顾问。指控理由就是被告不当处理前白宫工作人员的背景档案，伤害到了这些人。这场官司刚刚开始，可以预计，这个“档案门”事件仅仅就违反美国宪法有关保障公民隐私权的第四修正案，就还会有一大堆麻烦跟在后头。 然而，对于“档案门”，涉及侵犯个人隐私的问题，还不是最严重的关注焦点。它的关键还是牵涉到一个违规的政党运作，就是白宫是否违法搜集对手党“黑材料”的问题。这一事件的直接责任者是白宫人事安全室主任里文斯顿，他就是一个靠“助选”进入白宫的“总统顾问”。他的直接上司就是已经自杀的前白宫副法律顾问弗斯特，里文斯特甚至还被人指认，在弗斯特自杀以后，曾经从弗斯特的办公室里取走一箱文件，这一直还在调查之中。 尽管里文斯特也只承认调阅档案是一个无意“疏失”，可是很难使人信服。尤其是调阅的档案中，还包括了被解职的前白宫旅行办公室雇员的背景资料。说是调阅他们的档案完全是无目的的“疏失”，就更加令人难以置信了。 不管“档案门”的真正起因是什么，已经出了这么大的乱子，里文斯特在白宫是不可能再待下去了。在短短的一段留薪停职以后，他很快宣布辞职了。在辞职之前的国会听证会上，他承认的白宫违规调阅的联邦调查局文件，已经超过七百份。当然，对“档案门”的调查，并不会因为里文斯特的辞职而结束。 同时，由于白宫安全室主任一般需要具有一定的专业背景才能胜任，而已经辞职的里文斯特显然不符合条件，他只是一个“助选功臣”。所以，又展开了关于里文斯特被“错误任职”的调查，在调查中，又一次有人提到里文斯特的任命与克林顿夫人有关，白宫断然否认了这种说法。可是，居然也一直找不出到底是谁决定的这个任命。 就在今年的总统选举日不到两周的的时候，克林顿所任命的司法部长雷诺，向联邦上诉法院提出要求，让正在调查克林顿的另一个案件的独立检察官斯达，进一步扩大调查作业，同时调查“档案门”。联邦上诉法院立即批准了这个要求。 这些都是我们在“水门事件”里已经熟悉了的程序，也是美国人在“水门事件”以后，遇到类似情况时，运用得很自然的一些调查程序和调查手段。现在，你也看到了，行政分支的司法部长对于总统来说，有时会是一个关键人物。也许，这也是当初国会在审查司法部长的任命时，显得十分苛刻的缘故。 司法部长雷诺在这个大选当口上作出了这样的决定，一定经历了再三犹豫。只是，不论是人们猜测的那样，她是迫于国会压力，还是她完全出于对正常程序的执行，我们看到的是，这里有一种必然的制度性的东西在起作用。 谁都知道，如果克林顿没选上，新的共和党总统会组一个新的内阁，雷诺作为克林顿的司法部长不可能留任。如果克林顿选上了，他也有一个重新组阁，重新任命部长的机会。雷诺在大选前夕对克林顿作出深入调查的指示，完全有可能使她在克林顿连任之后失去部长职位。所以不论从哪一种大选结果来说，站在她个人利益的立场上，她决不会作这样的选择。但是，当一个制度运作成熟的时候，就会促使一个司法部长在其位，行其事。你一定还记得，在尼克松的“水门事件”里，就有两名前司法部长被判入狱。 在“水门事件”以后，其实所有的人都相对吸取了教训。所以，克林顿对于层出不穷的调查，虽然始终在挣扎，但是，还没有尼克松那样公然硬顶的情况出现。在各项调查中，克林顿与国会最大的冲突，还是对于被要求交出的各种文件，白宫尽可能拖延或拒绝，但是没有发生“水门事件”那样的独立检察官任命风波。现在任命独立检察官的过程相对平稳得多了。对于这一类制度性的程序，似乎已经被看作理所当然的事情了。 你也许会问，司法部长雷诺要求独立检察官扩大调查，插手“档案门”，那么，这名独立检察官在此之前已经在着手调查的，是一个什么案子呢？这是在克林顿1993年一上台就开始的“白水门”。“白水门”是影响更广，枝枝蔓蔓更多，调查范围更大的一本与克林顿夫妇直接有关的“陈年老账”。这封信已经够长的了，“白水门”我还是留到下封信再写吧。 来信。 wish it is good! Linda