By Dan Morgan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, September 5, 1999; Page A01
Hillary Rodham Clinton, distancing herself from a politically controversial
action by her husband, said yesterday that she opposes the release from
prison or other forms of clemency for 16 members of a Puerto Rican
terrorist group that was involved in more than 100 bombings in this country
at least 15 years ago.
When President Clinton announced a clemency offer on Aug. 11, it had
strong support from human rights leaders and was widely seen as boosting
Hillary Clinton's standing among New York's Hispanic voters in her
expected campaign for the Senate next year. But a backlash quickly
developed against the offer from senior law enforcement officials and
leading New York politicians.
In a statement yesterday explaining her position, Hillary Clinton said
the
prisoners had not renounced further acts of violence, a key condition of
the
president's offer. "It's been three weeks and their silence speaks volumes,"
she said.
The back-and-forth underscored the complex -- and deepening --
interconnection between the presidency and Hillary Clinton's unfolding
Senate campaign.
One well-placed Democratic observer suggested that as Hillary Clinton's
campaign gears up, many of the president's actions are likely to be
interpreted through the prism of the Senate race, even when the White
House is acting for other reasons.
At the same time, the issue of clemency for the Puerto Rican terrorists
may
have served as an early warning of the potential perils of using presidential
authority to advance Hillary Clinton's political fortunes.
Yesterday, she stressed that she had "no involvement in or prior
knowledge of the decision, as is entirely appropriate."
The White House has denied that the decision to offer clemency to the 16
Puerto Ricans was based on calculations about the benefits to Hillary
Clinton. Human rights leaders, such as former President Jimmy Carter and
South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, along with U.S. Hispanic
leaders, strongly urged the release of the prisoners, all of whom have
been
incarcerated for 14 years or longer. Clinton offered to release 11 members
of FALN, reduce the amount of time three others must serve and eliminate
fines against two others, one of whom already is out of prison.
The backlash against the offer is reported to have caught the White House
by surprise and forced a reassessment.
On Friday, White House lawyers advised attorneys for the prisoners that
if
they did not respond in writing to the president's offer by 5 p.m. next
Friday, "we would consider that a rejection of the offer and they would
continue serving their sentences," White House spokesman Jim Kennedy
said yesterday.
"We have always believed that renunciation of violence was a critical
condition of this clemency offer," he said. Kennedy said that Hillary Clinton
was not informed about the letter.
Yesterday morning, according to Hillary Clinton's spokesman, she
informed the president that she had decided to issue a statement calling
for
the withdrawal of the offer.
It was unclear yesterday what the impact would be in New York's large
Hispanic and Puerto Rican communities. Hispanic leaders in Congress
could not be reached for comment.
New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, Hillary Clinton's likely
Republican opponent in next year's race for the Senate seat being vacated
by Democrat Daniel Patrick Moynihan, has called the president's clemency
offer "a mistake," and there has also been opposition from high-ranking
congressional Republicans. A Giuliani spokesman said yesterday the
mayor would have no comment on Hillary Clinton's statement.
Moynihan himself, the state's senior Democrat, has also indicated that
he
opposes the offer, which received massive news coverage across the state.
Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), has reserved judgment pending further
study of an internal Justice Department report laying out the options on
the
matter for the president.
"Mrs. Clinton is a person in her own right and I assume after reviewing
material she made a decision," said Rep. Nita M. Lowey (D-N.Y.).
Lowey said she was still gathering information on which to form her own
opinion.
In reaching its recommendations for President Clinton, the White House
counsel's office noted that most of the prisoners have already served at
least 19 years, and one has served nearly 25 years. The bombings, by the
pro-independence Armed Forces of National Liberation, or FALN by its
Spanish initials, took place between 1974 and 1983. They killed at least
six persons and injured scores more. But none of those whose sentences
the president proposes to commute were directly involved in the deaths
and injuries, officials said.
On Friday, attorneys for 15 of the jailed Puerto Rican nationalists said
the
clemency offer is unfair because it would impose too many restrictions
on
the FALN members once they are freed from prison. "It's conditioned
upon them complying with terms that would limit their ability to integrate
themselves into the political process to shape the future of their country,
because it restricts their travel and association," one of the attorneys,
Jan
Susler, told the Associated Press Television News (APTN).
Susler and lawyer Michael Deutsch said the FALN members all have
renounced violence -- a condition of the clemency offer -- but had
problems with other parts of the deal.
Deutsch said Friday that if FALN members accepted the offer they would
be barred from participating in political movements advocating
independence for Puerto Rico, a commonwealth of the United States.
Their travel also would be severely restricted, he said.
Carter previously pardoned several Puerto Rican nationalists who were
convicted of storming the U.S. House of Representatives in 1954 and
wounding five members.
Several observers said yesterday that the attention given to Hillary
Clinton's statement yesterday is part of her transition from supportive
first
lady to candidate in her own right. As the months pass, some suggested,
it
will be commonplace for her to be taking stands that are at odds from
those of the president -- such as her demands for increased Medicare
funding of New York's teaching hospitals.
But at this point, the sources suggested, the transition is still awkward
for
both the White House and the first lady.
© Copyright 1999 The Washington Post Company