They say that whatever they do, wherever they go, the Clintons leave a path of destruction behind them. And so it is that Bill and Hillary are catching it from all sides for questionable pardons, the trashing of the Old Executive Office Building, the pillaging of the White House and overall tackiness associated with their White House departure. Jack Quinn, a former aide to former President Clinton and Vice President Gore and a high-tech lobbyist who has represented the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association on wireless tax issues, is smack in the middle of Pardongate. Quinn helped win a pardon for fugitive commodities trader Marc Fisher, who spent nearly two decades abroad dodging U.S. officials on charges of tax evasion and racketeering.
Now, Quinn may be about to get snagged in another Clinton controversy.
The House Commerce Committee is investigating Clinton’s failure to file a congressionally mandated cyber security report before he left office and the ex-prez’s last-minute appointment of members to the National Infrastructure Assurance Council. The 200-page report, according to The Wall Street Journal, was prepared and ready for Clinton’s signature. Was Clinton too busy signing pardons?
Turns out one of the 18 NIAC members picked by Clinton is none other than Jack Quinn. Now there is grumbling about the timing and makeup of the cyber security group, whose job it is to protect telecom networks and other critical infrastructure.
In a Jan. 25 letter to Richard Clarke, national coordinator for security, infrastructure protection and counterterrorism at the National Security Council, House Commerce Committee Chairman Billy Tauzin asked for a copy of the security report and details on the NIAC appointments by Jan. 31. He is still waiting.
So why should Tauzin or anyone else care about cyber security and Clinton’s alleged mishandling of the matter? Try national and economic security. It’s become a front-burner issue. Look at a few current events:
USA Today reported Osama bin Laden and others of his ilk are surreptitiously using the Internet to plan attacks against the U.S.
Researchers last week announced corporate wireless computer networks are vulnerable to hacker attacks. A privacy group said popular e-mail systems can be readily tapped.
A Swiss newspaper reported hackers gained cellular telephone numbers, passport data and other personal information from high-profile figures, like Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates (a NIAC member), former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Yasser Arafat and others, who have attended World Economic Forum meeting s in recent years.
Identity theft may be the least of our problems.
