Larry Zilliox, the private investigator who maintains the most up to date data base of
Sun Myung Moon's front groups, did one heckuva pre-emptive strike on what Moon likely had up his sleeve by "donating" money to Bush the elder's Presidential Library in 2004.
Moon has long sought a pardon for his tax cheating conviction in the 80s.(details below) A pardon is a very big deal for him since it will allow him to tell his cult and those preachers and politicians he uses to influence the direction of the planet that he was persecuted and wronged. Reagan tried to stop the prosecution which was handled out of New York, but he failed. Moon has tried to get Bush 41 and Reagan to pardon him in the past but they apparently didn't want the closeness of Moon to their political movement to be exposed to that degree and did not do so. Bush Jr. may still pardon Moon, but thanks to Zilliox, we will now know what helped grease the wheel if he does.
When asked about the Moon donation, Bush 41's spokesperson...well...Milk out the nose alert if you continue.
Here is an article from the Houston Chronicle about the Moon donation to his favorite shill, Poppy.
$1 million Moonie mystery
By RICK CASEY - Houston Chronicle
...
In the course of his probing, Zilliox came across an odd entry in the most recent tax filing of the Washington Times Foundation, which is associated with the conservative newspaper founded in 1982 by Moon.
The document was dated mid-2004 and included a list of organizations to which grants had been made.
A million bucks to Houston?
Three received grants totaling $9,000. The New York headquarters of Moon's Unification Church received $11,200. Another of Moon's organizations, the American Family Coalition Inc., received a grant of $254,500.
Then came the grabber: a whopping $1 million to the Greater Houston Community Foundation.
Why would Moon's Washington Times Foundation give a million bucks to Houston?
Zilliox said he figured I'd have a better chance of finding out than he would.
Snip
Zilliox had a theory. He figured Moon gave the money to the Houston foundation as a pass-through to the presidential library of the elder President Bush.
It wouldn't be the first connection between Moon and Bush. In 1995 Bush was handsomely paid to make six speeches to Moon-related groups in Japan.
The next year he would go to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to celebrate the opening of a new Moonie newspaper there.
Zilliox's notion turned out not to be an idle theory. The long list of grant recipients listed in the community foundation's tax return that year included the George Bush Presidential Library Foundation at Texas A&M.
The amount: $2,132,471.
So I called Rod Thornton at the Bush library foundation.
He hesitated for a moment, then explained that the donation from the Greater Houston Community Foundation came from proceeds from Bush's 80th birthday celebration in 2004, which included a huge party at Minute Maid Park and a fundraising extravaganza to benefit three of the former president's favorite causes: his library, the Points of Light Foundation he founded, and the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
M.D. Anderson received $4.4 million from the Greater Houston Community Foundation that year, and the Points of Light Foundation received $1.8 million.
One call remained, to Jim McGrath, a former speechwriter for the former president who still serves as a family spokesman.
He explained that the money raised through Bush's birthday bash was funneled through the Greater Houston Community Foundation because of its tax-exempt status.
And did $1 million come from the Washington Times Foundation?
"We're in an uncomfortable position," he said. "If a donor doesn't want to be identified we need to honor their privacy."
I asked him about another part of Zilliox's theory: that the donation was made to help persuade Bush's son, the current president, to grant Moon a pardon for a 1982 felony tax evasion conviction that had put him in prison for 13 months.
Moon had applied for a pardon from the elder president Bush, but withdrew the request.
"If that's why he gave the grant, he's throwing his money away," said McGrath. "That's not the way the Bushes operate."
haha. That's not how "the Bushes operate"???? haha
Ain't that a knee slapper? Could have fooled me.
Might note here that Chung Hwan Kwak, who is the head of most Moon front organizations, attended Bush 41's several day long birthday bash in Houston in mid 2004. It was just a short time after Kwak helped put the crown on Moon's head during the ceremony in the Dirksen Office Building in March of 2004.
Moon also gave $250,000 - the most allowed by law - for the 2005 Bush-Cheney inaugural.
I understand there is a very high threshold for prosecutors to get a tax conviction of the type Moon was found guilty of. Moon and his accountant were convicted of among other things lying to cover their crime. One way they were caught was thanks to a new technology just out at the time. It was found that the paper Moon's accounting was written on had not been manufactured by the dates of the reports written on the paper. Far from being persecuted; Moon received a sentence of 18 months - serving 13 - for a crime that could have carried a 14 year sentence. Even though he was caught red handed, when Moon got out of jail he was able to convince a lot of preachers, politicians and even liberal legal types that he was "persecuted."
Ignoring John 5:43 and Romans 16:17, Jerry Falwell headed a celebration of thousands of ministers who showed their support for Moon when he got out. I heard one Moon preacher say the organization failed because they had the Christians in their grasp at the time but weren't prepared to take advantage of it.
As time went on, Moon, who says one of his chores as the Messiah was to restore "Christianity" in America, played a major role in bringing the Christian right together for political power. Without Moon, the new right, the conservative movement would not control our government.
Moon wants a pardon bad. from FRONTLINE 1992
Narrator: Moon ultimately went to the top in his effort to clear his name -- seeking a presidential pardon for his crimes.
Narrator: The point man was Max Hugel, a former Reagan campaign official and one-time deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency in charge of covert operations.
Hugel: "It is so important to have a superb intelligence agency."
Narrator: Hugel was forced to leave the agency in the wake of a stock scandal.
(Soundtrack) PRESS CONFERENCE: Reporter off camera: "Can you tell us why you're not choosing to stay on and fight?"
Narrator: Hugel later went into business with Jonathan Park, the son of Bo Hi Pak.
ATLANTIC VIDEO DEMO REEL: Announcer: "Through two huge sound locks are the best outfitted teleproduction studios in the region."
Narrator: Hugel worked with Park to expand Moon's electronic media empire, while also brokering contacts between Bo Hi Pak and Vice President George Bush.
Narrator: In this April, 1988 memo to Unification Church member Marc Lee, Hugel offers to arrange for Pak to have his picture taken with the Vice President -- at a cost of $50,000. Hugel also promises to try to get Bush to write to Pak. Two months later, Bush did write to Pak, and told him, "I hope we can meet again soon." Did they discuss a pardon during their meeting? Neither President Bush nor Bo Hi Pak would comment to FRONTLINE.
Narrator: Later in 1988, Hugel also recruited the law firm of one of Ronald Reagan's best friends to assist in Moon's pardon effort -- former Senator Paul Laxalt. ...
Narrator: Laxalt's law firm was paid $100,000 up front and $50,000 a month to obtain a presidential pardon for Moon. According to billings submitted by the lawyers, Laxalt was directly involved in the pardon effort. This petition for executive clemency was delivered to the Justice Department, accompanied by letters from Senator Orrin Hatch, publisher William Rusher, civil rights leader Ralph Abernathy endorsing the pardon.
Narrator: The Washington Times also became involved in the pardon campaign. First, Editor Arnaud de Borchgrave wrote a "letter from the editor."
Cheshire: "It was not really a letter to the editor, it was a letter to President Reagan urging President Reagan to grant Reverend Moon a presidential pardon."
Narrator: Later, the Times ran this article examining Reagan's record on pardons. After it appeared, Laxalt's partner, Paul Perito, became alarmed. Perito warned Bo Hi Pak that "if a case can be made...that the Church allegedly controls and dictates the activities of organizations such as the Washington Times...this will affect our credibility and could materially damage our prodigious efforts." ...
Narrator: Ronald Reagan never pardoned Sun Myung Moon. Moon's pardon application is still pending before the Bush Administration. Max Hugel, Paul Laxalt, and Paul Perito all refused to comment. Ronald Reagan also declined to comment.
_____
You may also remember Carlton Sherwood who made the video slamming Kerry during the 2004 campaign. He helped reinvent Moon's reputation with the book called "Inquisition." To this day, the book is widely used by Moon's organization to convince people Moon is just a misunderstood sort who America has treated badly.
Continuing with the FRONTLINE transcript :
Narrator: One week after talking to Regnery, FRONTLINE obtained a copy of a letter addressed to Sun Myung Moon. The letter was written by James Gavin, a Moon aide. Gavin tells Moon he reviewed the "overall tone and factual contents" of Inquisition before publication and suggested revisions. Gavin adds that the author "Mr. Sherwood has assured me that all this will be done when the manuscript is sent to the publisher." Gavin concludes by telling Moon, "When all of our suggestions have been incorporated, the book will be complete and in my opinion will make a significant impact.... In addition to silencing our critics now, the book should be invaluable in persuading others of our legitimacy for many years to come."