[OG Note: I happened to catch a little bit of the end of this interview. Although he doesn't resemble him in the slightest, Roger Clinton does something my ex used to do--whenever he wishes to impress you with his sincerity, he begins to sound like Billy Graham. And, with my ex, I found out that the more he sounded like Graham, the more he was lying. (No offense to the Rev. Graham.) Just a little personal prejudice but worthy of note.]

Wash Times Roger Clinton Denies Wrongdoing

The Associated Press Friday, June 22, 2001; 12:55 a.m. EDT

LOS ANGELES –– Roger Clinton, the half brother of former President Clinton, says there's no truth to allegations he took money to arrange presidential pardons.

Appearing Thursday on CNN's Larry King, Clinton complained the media are unfairly judging him and authorities are targeting him.

"I am very disappointed in what seemingly is a system that allows me to be guilty until proven innocent," he told King. "I have been internationally labeled and branded ... an extortionist."

A federal investigation is under way into whether the former president issued pardons in exchange for campaign donations and gifts to his presidential library.

News reports have cited a federal inmate who claims he paid $200,000 on assurances that Roger Clinton could get him a presidential pardon.

"There is no truth to money for pardons. There is zero truth to that. Zero truth," Roger Clinton said. "There was no money exchanged with me and I never heard one word about a pardon."

Clinton's attorney declined to let him answer specific questions about the pardon controversy during the hour-long "Larry King Live" interview.

But Clinton, who was himself pardoned for a 1982 cocaine conviction, said he asked his brother to pardon four or five close friends who had served prison sentences for various crimes. The president refused, he said, leaving him "angry" and "hurt."

"I went three or four weeks where I didn't talk to him," he said of the strain the rejection put on his relationship with his half brother.

Clinton, 44, also denied that he was driving drunk when he was arrested Feb. 21 by police in Hermosa Beach. He faces a pretrial hearing on the charge Monday in Torrance.

"I was not legally drunk and driving. I had had about two beers," Clinton said.

He repeated his attorney's contention that police targeted him because he was the president's brother. Police have said he was driving erratically, which Clinton denied.

Clinton could face a year in prison if convicted of drunken driving and disturbing the peace. He said prosecutors have offered to let him plead guilty to reckless driving in return for dropping the alcohol-related charges, although he didn't say if he'd accept that deal.

"I just want it to go away. The damage has been done. I have been internationally labeled a drunk driver," Clinton said.

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2001