CAT'S OUT OF THE BAG ON HILL'S GIFTS

NY Post 2/11/01 By DICK MORRIS

BILL and Hillary Clinton's abuse of gifts in the closing days of their administration is only half the story.

Hillary Clinton got many expensive and personal gifts during her eight years as first lady and never disclosed them, as required by law.

Every year, the first couple is required to file a public financial-disclosure statement listing all gifts they got that year.

The Clintons regularly filed these disclosures. However, a careful analysis of them indicates virtually no personal gifts to Hillary Clinton.

While the forms make no distinction between gifts for the president and those for the first lady or Chelsea, it is clear from the nature of the gifts listed that none of them was a personal gift to Hillary.

No dresses, bags, gowns, jewelry or other clothing appear on any of the Clinton gift disclosures.

In 1995, for example, the Clintons list such gifts as a $2,000 saxophone, a second, $2,500 saxophone, $2,000 golf clubs, $400 golf clubs with a Razorback emblem, a $450 golf driver with the presidential seal, a $350 belt with silver buckle, $900 for a gavel made of wood from the USS Constitution, a $375 watch and sportswear, and a $350 cartoon from Steven Spielberg.

Clearly, gifts for Bill.

But nothing for Hillary.

In 1997, the form lists $360 for four ties, $400 for an antique map of Illinois, $400 for an Arkansas duck-stamp print, $625 for golfing attire, $1,027 of Coca-Cola stock - a gift to Chelsea from Walter Kay, whose other gift to Bill Clinton was Monica Lewinsky - and $750 for Buddy, the chocolate Labrador retriever.

But, again, nothing for Hillary.

Yet, she did receive gifts. For example, Judith Leiber, designer of expensive and easily recognizable evening bags, has said publicly that Hillary had three or four of her creations.

Leiber said her first gift to Hillary was around the time of the 1993 inauguration.

In July 1995, Leiber said she received a thank-you note from Hillary for a second Leiber bag, describing it as "another tour de force."

Asked about these bags, the White House said Mrs. Clinton would disclose the bags. But they do not appear on any of the disclosure forms in the public record.

One of the bags featured a dazzling beaded image of Socks, the now-discarded Clinton family cat. An inquiry to the Bergdorf-Goodman Judith Leiber counter showed that a generic cat bag, to say nothing of a Socks customized one, sells for $3,500. According to Leiber, another of the bags Hillary received was a beaded rose. That bag retails for $3,000.

These bags alone, none of which appear on the Clintons' disclosure forms, would cost a total of more than $10,000, clearly gifts that should have been disclosed by the first lady.

This is in sharp contrast, for example, to George H.W. Bush and wife Barbara, whose financial statements clearly indicated gifts to Barbara such as a gold watch and two Judith Leiber evening bags.

Where on the disclosure forms are the five beautiful dresses publicly reported to have been given to Hillary by the King of Morocco on the occasion of his state visit? Hillary was seen wearing one of these gowns, a gold lace Moroccan dress that the king had given to her. None of these appears on the forms.

And what about an eagle pin that has been publicly reported to have been given to her by Phyllis George Brown, a former Miss America who is the ex-wife of the onetime governor of Kentucky? This gift doesn't appear on the forms either.

And the discounts on designer clothing, where are they on the disclosure form?

Neither are any of the gifts reported to have been given to Hillary and Chelsea during their trip to India. Newspapers reported that Chelsea was presented with a $500 gold bracelet during the trip. This doesn't appear on the form.

The choice is simple: either you believe that Hillary did not receive any personal gifts or you believe that she did but isn't telling.

Since the published accounts indicate that she did receive many such gifts and it is clear that she didn't report them, something is amiss.

Now that we know that the Clintons have an undue appetite for gifts and a noted propensity to keep them from public view, Hillary owes us all an explanation.

HENCH adds: While the heat is on, let's fry these scums for good. Expel her from the Senate, indict try, convict, and incarcerate them both for bribery and theft of government property, and take away their pensions and SS protection, as well as their rights to vote. It's about time. 

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