GLOBAL CROSSING BANKRUPTCY: GOP INSIDERS QUESTION DNC CHAIRMAN MCAULIFFE PROFIT, TURNED $100,000 INTO $18,000,000
**Exclusive**
ENRON-stung GOPers are discreetly eyeing the collapse of GLOBAL CROSSING [which on Monday became the 4th largest bankruptcy in history] and its Chairman Gary Winnick, a top Democrat donor who helped DNC head Terry McAuliffe turn a $100,000 stock investment -- into $18,000,000!
MORE
McAuliffe arranged for Winnick to play golf with President Clinton in 1999 after his cash windfall. Winnick then gave a million dollars to help build Clinton's presidential library.
A top White House source noted, with irony, the direct McAuliffe connection with Winnick and GLOBAL CROSSING.
"McAuliffe is a guy who made millions and millions and millions off this GLOBAL CROSSING stock? And the company goes bankrupt. And he has the gonads to criticizes anyone on ENRON!" blasted the Bush insider who asked not to be identified.
"What did Winnick get for his money? Let's have congressional hearings! Stockholders should demand it! Will Mr. Clinton give back the money?"
McAuliffe, in his role as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, has been a vocal opponent of the ENRON collapse, telling CNN this weekend: "The people out there who are hurt the most are the small people, and once again the wealthy special interests got to take their money off the table, and that's what we need investigate."
But with shares of GLOBAL CROSSING closing at just 30 cents on Monday, and trading suspended after the Chapter 11 deal was announced, McAuliffe faded from view.
For McAuliffe, Global Crossing turned out to be a bonanza. The stock had soared in the late 90s, when Winnick once bragged that he was the "richest man in Los Angeles." McAuliffe operated out of an office in downtown Washington that belonged to Winnick to help him "work on deals."
McAuliffe told the NYT TIMES's Jeff Gerth in late '99 that his initial $100,000 investment grew to be worth about $18 million, and he made millions more trading Global's stock and options after it went public in 1998.
Top GOP insiders where also gloating over GLOBAL CROSSING ties to other ENRON obsessives.
A major fundraising dinner for Senator Tom Daschle was paid for by GLOBAL CROSSING.
Winnick gave thousands of dollars to Rep. Henry Waxman [D-CA] during the last election, according to public records.
Developing...
----------------------------------------------------------- Filed By Matt Drudge Reports are moved when circumstances warrant http://www.drudgereport.com for updates (c)DRUDGE REPORT 2002 Not for reproduction without permission of the author