Klayman: Lawsuit over Elian Gonzalez in hands of Clinton loyalists
By Toby Westerman. © 2001
WorldNetDaily.com. Monday April 23
2001.
Four months after his inauguration as president, George W. Bush "is not
cleaning house" in the Department of Justice, and is retaining appointees "who
are loyal to the Clinton administration," according to Larry Klayman, head
of Judicial Watch, a Washington, D.C.-based legal watchdog group.
Klayman's remarks were made during a radio interview with Donato Dalrymple,
the rescuer of would-be Cuban exile Elian Gonzalez. The discussion occurred on
Judicial Watch's Saturday radio broadcast.
"I want to know why this Justice Department is not clearing house with
all these lawyers who are loyal to the Clinton administration. … Why are
they not gone by now?" Klayman asked.
Judicial Watch is representing Dalrymple in a suit filed against the Justice
Department and the Immigration and Naturalization Service following the raid one
year ago which eventually resulted in the return of Elian Gonzalez to Cuba.
The April 22, 2000, raid took place on the Saturday before Easter against
the home of Elian's uncle, Lazaro Gonzalez.
During the raid, Dalrymple sought to protect the child by holding him in his
arms. The photo of Dalrymple clutching the terrified Elian won photographer Alan
Diaz a Pulitzer Prize.
The Judicial Watch suit specifically names former Attorney General Janet
Reno, former Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder Jr., and then-INS Commissioner
Doris Meissner as parties to the action.
"The same people who were representing the Immigration and
Naturalization Service, and Doris Meissner and Janet Reno, and Eric Holder"
are still representing the federal government, and "are trying to stonewall
this case," declared Klayman.
Klayman urged his listeners to write to newly confirmed Attorney General
John Ashcroft to request removal of the "Clinton loyalists … who
violated the constitutional rights of American citizens."
Although the case of Elian Gonzalez is fading from memory for many
Americans, the incident still elicits strong reactions from others.
In the broadcast, Dalrymple vividly recalled waking suddenly that morning in
stunned confusion, at first denying the stark reality of the raid and thinking,
"This isn't really happening. … Am I dreaming?"
Dalrymple remains, as do large numbers of the Cuban-American community,
unrelentingly hostile to Cuban President Fidel Castro. Dalrymple refers to the
communist nation's leader as "a murderer, a criminal … who should be
indicted."
Dalrymple also attributed Bush's win in Florida to the Cuban-Americans who
renounced their traditional ties with the Democratic Party and voted Republican
because of the Elian Gonzalez incident.
Interestingly, after rescuing Elian from the waters between Cuba and
Florida, Dalrymple became fervently pro-life. In an interview with Fr. Frank
Pavone, director of Priests for Life, Dalrymple stated that, "It was
actually Elian who saved me. ... God taught me that He could still use me to do
some good." Comparing the plight of Elian to that of the unborn, Dalrymple
told Pavone that "none of us can ignore our brothers and sisters in danger
of abortion."
The Elian Gonzalez case also remains important in Cuba. Havana periodically
reminds the Cuban population of its victory over the United States with Elian
and his father, Juan Miguel, cast in the role of living memorials to the Cuban
triumph.
During the April 17 commemoration of the 40th anniversary of Castro's
victory over Cuban exiles at the Bay of Pigs, Juan Miguel participated in the
festivities as a living reminder of Castro's most recent triumph.
In March, Castro invited the president of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, to meet
the child to whom the Cuban government refers as a "miracle" boy.
Mbeki and Castro -- both of whom share the common experience of being
communist-trained guerrilla fighters -- traveled to Cardenas, where Elian now
lives.
Mbeki "did not want to miss the miracle of personally meeting Elian
Gonzalez," according to a Reuters report quoting the Communist Party daily
newspaper, Granma.
Foreign media were not allowed to witness the visit, which, according to
reports, was carried out with "a rather paternal tenderness" on the
part of the two leaders.
Despite the affection shown toward Elian, the Castro government remains
condemned by the United Nation for human-rights violations, and observers of
South African politics are increasingly concerned over Mbeki's inability to
tolerate criticism.
At the Saturday vigil commemorating the one-year anniversary of the INS raid
on his home, Lazaro Gonzalez sought to reconcile with his relatives in Cuba,
according to an Associated Press report. "We continue to love them,"
Gonzalez said. "All we want is freedom for them and all the children of
Cuba."
I.J. Toby Westerman, is a contributing reporter for WorldNetDaily who
focuses on current events in the Commonwealth of Independent States and the
Balkans.
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