STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN ANCHOR: A House committee today begins hearings on Clinton's last-minute pardon of fugitive billionaire Marc Rich. CNN national correspondent Bob Franken is in Washington now with the latest on that. Bob, good morning.</s>BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. He, Marc Rich, was one of 140 last-minute pardons granted by President Clinton's last day in office. Rich is the one that is causing most of the uproar because there are many people who have believed that since the early '80s, he had, in fact, committed very, very serious economic crimes, that he had evaded $48 million in U.S. income taxes, that he had illegally traded with Iran at a time when Iran was holding hostages. Rich's supporters say that in fact, the crimes that he was accused of were really civil matters and the result of over-zealous prosecution. Whatever, Congressman Dan Burton, whose House Reform Committee had made almost a career out of investigating alleged scandals during the Clinton administration, is now investigating post- Clinton administration. Burton will form his committee. He will call Clinton's attorney, Jack Quinn. Quinn was former White House counsel. There are charges that in bypassing procedures with the Justice Department, Quinn took advantage of his connections by going directly to the president. Quinn claims that there was involvement with the Justice Department, in the person of Eric Holder, the deputy attorney general -- he too will be a witness, as well as former prosecutors of Marc Rich -- Stephen.</s>FRAZIER: Bob Franken, thank you very much.
House Committee to Consider Marc Rich Pardon