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Citizens for Honest Government - Pat Matrisciana

"The Clinton Chronicles" is probably the best known video attacking Clinton with spurious conspiracy theories, although there are several others. "The Clinton Chronicles," is presented as a secular investigative narrative, but is produced by Jeremiah films, which specializes in apocalyptic Christian fundamentalist videos. Jeremiah is one of several projects of Pat Matrisciana, who also runs the parent group, Creative Ministries, and Citizens for Honest Government, publisher of the newsletter Citizen's Intelligence Digest.

Widely distributed by Jerry Falwell and other anti-Clinton activists, the video was circulated in June 1994 to Republican members of the House of Representatives with a cover letter from ultra-conservative Illinois Republican Philip M. Crane.¹⁰⁷ Falwell alone sold more than 60,000 copies of the video.¹⁰⁸ A companion item is The Clinton Chronicles Book, also from Jeremiah. The Clinton Chronicles Book includes footnotes, which frequently cite to standard ultraconservative sources such as the Washington Times, Insight, and Human Events. One chapter, "compiled by Citizens for Honest Government," includes condensations of articles by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard. Another chapter by ultra-conservative Scott Wheeler claims liberal media conspire to circulate "engineered information" in an "onslaught of manipulated facts" to protect Clinton.¹⁰⁹

A chapter by Lt. Col. Tom McKenney (retired), titled "Bill Clinton-The Unthinkable Commander in Chief" picks up the theme of treason in high places. McKenney asks: "How could we have a Commander in Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces who holds the military in contempt, who is anti-patriotic, who long ago embraced the dream of world socialism, and who, if he were not President, could not receive a security clearance."

The Clinton Chronicles has an appendix of cites allegedly tying Clinton to "The Mena Airport Drug Smuggling Operation." The appendix includes articles based in part on claims by Richard Brenneke, a "source" used by journalists who described details of a vast drug-running conspiracy but who was later shown to have misrepresented his knowledge. One article about Brenneke's charges listed in the appendix was by Frank Snepp, a respected journalist at the Village Voice. But Snepp had written a later article exposing Brenneke's unreliability and retracted his earlier articles based on Brenneke's dubious assertions.¹¹⁰ Another article cited is from Executive Intelligence Review, a journal controlled by conspiracist demagogue Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr.

Matrisciana spoke at a October 4, 1997 "Take America Back" rally near the US Capitol, a few blocks away from the massive Promise Keepers rally, "Stand in the Gap." Take America Back turned into a pro-impeachment rally. Other speakers included Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry, and Alan Keyes, a 1996 Republican presidential candidate, radio host, and founder of Black America's PAC.¹¹¹ The rally program blurb for Matrisciana claims that "Edwin Meese III, former U.S. Attorney General said `Citizens for Honest Government is doing important work on behalf of the American people.'"¹¹²

Matrisciana's Citizens for Honest Government also distributed a 12-page booklet titled "The Citizens Presidential Impeachment Indictment." The 25 counts listed in the booklet included numerous conspiracist allegations claiming misconduct by Clinton. The Paula Jones case was listed, as well as charges that Clinton engaged in massive and repeated conspiracies such as laundering drug money, bribery, and accessory to murder in the Vincent Foster case. Many of the allegations are standard fare in the US conspiracist subculture.

The Jan./Feb. 1998 issue of Citizens Intelligence Digest featured a posed photograph of John Wheeler Jr., director of publications for Citizens for Honest Government, handing "The Citizens Presidential Impeachment Indictment," to Rep. Bob Barr, at a "Strategy Briefing Breakfast" held in Washington, DC on Nov. 7, 1997. Flanking the two was Howard Phillips, president of the Conservative Caucus, and a leading player in the hard core theocratic wing of the fundamentalist Christian Right. That same issue of Citizens Intelligence Digest also featured an article by Christopher Ruddy suggesting that Commerce Secretary Ron Brown was assassinated. Along with Ruddy, other "Contributing Writers" to the newsletter included Rep. William Dannemeyer, Joseph Farah, Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, Timothy LaHaye, apocalyptic fundamentalist author Chuck Missler, anti-gay author Dr. Stanley Monteith, and Larry Pratt of Gun Owners of America, which is to the right of the National Rifle Association.

Citizens for Honest Government is an example of the practical linkage among the Republican Party, the conservative Christian Right, Christian Right theocrats, and hard right conspiracism.

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