Giuliani blasts Hillary Clinton in wake of LaBella revelations

March 10, 2000
Web posted at: 5:57 p.m. EST (2257 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Charging the first lady with playing a role in "funny-money fund-raising schemes," New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's campaign spokeswoman called for the release of the report on Democratic fund-raising irregularities by former Justice Department prosecutor Charles LaBella.

"This report raises serious allegations about fund-raising schemes that were conjured up to circumvent the law during the 1996 presidential campaign," said Kim Serafin, a spokeswoman for Giuliani. "Those implicated in the report include Hillary Clinton and her top adviser, Harold Ickes."

The first lady's campaign fired back at Mrs. Clinton's likely opponent in the Senate race. "Only when Rudy Giuliani releases his secret fund-raising letters that are filled with lies and distortions will he be in a position to discuss this issue," said Howard Wolfson, a spokesman for Mrs. Clinton's campaign in New York.

"We will not be lectured to by a man who has repeatedly broken campaign finance laws and received the second-largest fine in New York City history," he added.

Giuliani's spokeswoman called the failure of the Justice Department to appoint an independent prosecutor to investigate alleged fund-raising abuses "troubling."

"For months, we've been sounding the alarm bells about the funny-money fund-raising schemes that Mrs. Clinton has imported to New York from Arkansas and Washington, and this appears to be just the tip of the iceberg," said Serafin.

"The LaBella report should be released immediately so the American people can evaluate the serious charges cited in the report," she said.