Hillary Clinton again denies role in commutation

Clinton: "I'm just very disappointed about my brother's involvement," she said in February.

By Eileen O'Connor
CNN Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Hillary Rodham Clinton stands by earlier statements that she knew nothing of her brother Hugh Rodham's efforts to gain a commutation for a convicted cocaine dealer, a spokesman for the senator said Wednesday.

A White House memo recommending the commutation of Carlos Vignali's sentence surfaced this week, renewing queries over whether the New York senator intervened on her brother's behalf while she was first lady.

"Hugh says this is very important to him and the first lady as well as others," the memo reads.

Sources told CNN the unsigned memo, which is on White House stationery, was found in the files of Bruce Lindsey, a deputy White House counsel under President Clinton.

It is not clear who wrote the memo or when, but it evidently was taken as a message from Rodham to Lindsey.

Rodham, an attorney, has admitted he was paid $204,000 by the family of Carlos Vignali.

President Clinton commuted Vignali's sentence -- over the objections of a United States attorney's office -- after Vignali served six years of a 15-year prison term for conspiring to sell more than 800 pounds of cocaine.

After news of the payment to Hugh Rodham became public in February, Sen. Clinton demanded Rodham return the money and he agreed to do so.

Hillary Clinton commented on the matter in a press conference on February 22.

"You know, I did not have any involvement in the pardons that were granted or not granted, you know, and I'm just very disappointed about my brother's involvement," she said.

The senator stands by that statement, said spokesman Jim Kennedy.

In his testimony before the House Committee on Government Reform, Lindsey acknowledged he had spoken to Rodham about Vignali's pardon, but he was not asked in that testimony about the memo or any involvement by Hillary Clinton.