Gop Knows It’s Looking In Mirror

Every day brings new revelations into White House and Democratic National Committee fund-raising scandals.

Last Sunday, we learned the nickname Vice President Al Gore received from Democrats for his heavy-handed approach to fund-raising: “solicitor-in-chief.”

On Monday, Gore admitted that “on a few occasions” he used White House telephones to solicit campaign money during the 1996 campaign - a definite no-no. Gore claimed nothing was illegal, but he wouldn’t do it again.

Then, on Wednesday, the spotlight shifted to Margaret Williams, Hillary Clinton’s chief of staff. All she did was accept a $50,000 check in the White House from Johnny Chung, a key figure in criminal and congressional investigations into improper fund-raising activities by Democrats. Another no-no.

So, you’d think congressional Republicans would be in full pursuit of the Democrats scurrying down the gangplanks. Ha! On Thursday, GOP leadership, bowing to pressure from its own caucus, limited the scope, time and budget of a Senate probe into questionable fund-raising practices.

The Republicans, you see, are not above sin. Some of their own politicians may have succumbed to temptation to win expensive 1996 campaign battles. So, rather than correct a mess that has transformed the White House into Motel 1600 and possibly worse, they’re willing only to tinker with the problem. Not solve it.

Well, we say a pox on both houses - as well as on Attorney General Janet Reno who has refused, despite calls even from prominent Democrats, to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate these scandals.

Reno, for some reason, is content to let the FBI investigate the matter - the same FBI that looked the other way while low-ranking denizens of the White House were scouring the files of leading Republicans. That makes us wonder what kind of deal Reno had to cut with President Bill Clinton to win appointment to a second term.

All this stinks.

At a time when the public overwhelmingly supports campaign finance reform, Republicans and Democrats are circling each other warily, trying to keep their back sides covered. No wonder more than 60 percent of the public thinks each side cheats on its campaign finances.

To clear the air, this country needs a bare-knuckles investigation of fund-raising scandals. Americans deserve to know if the selling of the White House affected our policy toward China and other countries. We also have a right to know if the Republican majority in Congress is as rotten in its fund-raising practices as Clinton, Gore and the Democratic National Committee are.

Campaign finance reform begins with draining the cesspools on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = D.F. Oliveria For the editorial board