GEORGE STEPHANOPOLOUS

When ABC news correspondent George Stephanopolous sounds off on President Bush’s and Alberto Gonzalez’s role in the firing of U.S. attorneys, keep this in mind: He knows a little something about the subject.
Stephanopolous had been one of the nation’s foremost Democratic operatives when he was tapped as a strategist for Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign. In 1993, he was appointed to serve as White House Communications Director, and continued dutifully defending his boss.
That same year, 1993, is when attorney general Janet Reno cleaned house, firing 93 U.S. attorneys.
Observers speculated the move was made to take U.S. Attorney Jay Stephens off the House Post Office investigation of Dan Rostenkowski, the Ways and Means chairman who was shepherding Clinton’s economic program through Congress. (In March 1993, Stephens had said he was within 30 days of finishing the Rostenkowski investigation. With Stephens gone, the indictment on Mail Fraud charges took another 14 months.)
Stephanopolous denied the firings were political in nature.
But the following year, Stephanopolous – who then served as a senior advisor to Clinton -- reportedly placed an irate phone call Resolution Trust Corp., an independent regulatory agency investigating claims stemming from the collapse of Madison Guaranty Savings & Loan – the S&L connected to Rose Law Firm of Hillary Clinton fame.
Did Stephanopolous try to have Stephens fired a second time – this time to hinder the Whitewater investgation? He says no. A White House statement says Stephanopolous and White House deputy chief of staff Harold Ickes, who are accused of making the call, had “no recollection” of the incident.
On March 17, Stephanopolous was subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury led by special prosecutor Robert Fiske. Stephanopolous issued a one sentence statement: "I welcome the opportunity to give Mr. Fiske the facts.”
He was never indicted of a criminal offense, but the episode hangs a cloud over Stephanopolous… as well as his coverage of the Gonzalez-U.S. attorneys affair.