Today we will be continuing our series on the dark and sordid history of the Clinton administration for the young and perpetually uninformed. The person in this photograph is named Billy Dale. Mr. Dale was the lifetime director of the White House Travel Office. Billy Dale and his department was responsible for making travel arrangements for the White House Press Corps. He had faithfully served seven U.S. Presidents over the past 32 years. Billy Dale actually voted for Bill Clinton for President and was excited to see him arrive in Washington D.C in January of 1993.
Hillary Clinton had a very close friend from Arkansas during this time named Harry Thomason who ran an aircraft charter company. Mr. Thomason was very interested in obtaining the White House travel business. One of Thomason’s representatives called Billy Dale during this early transition period and expressed interest in this charter company working with the White House. Mr. Dale declined the offer explaining that he did not need another middleman with more unnecessary overhead for the work that they do.
Within a matter of days, Hillary Clinton began to talk of rumors that the White House Travel Office had been taking “kick-backs” and profiting illegally from their position. She became very vocal regarding her concern about financial mismanagement in the Travel Office and insisted that her staff look into it further. The staff was informed that there would be “hell to pay” if Hillary Clinton didn’t get her way.
On May the 19th, Billy Dale and his staff of six other people were abruptly fired. Mr. Dale was publicly accused of embezzling 14,000 dollars. The White House Press Secretary announced that the entire Travel Office staff was being let go due to gross criminal misconduct. Mr. Dale spent the next two years and over 750,000 dollars attempting to clear his name. This required him to sell his own home. He was audited by the IRS twice over this same time period. After scores of evidence and testimony were presented in court, it took only two hours for Billy Dale to be acquitted of all charges. The Office of Independent Counsel later announced that Hillary Clinton’s sworn testimony in the case was completely inaccurate and untruthful.
The saddest part about this whole story is that Billy Dale and his Travel Office staff worked at the behest of the President. Mr. Dale could have been legally dismissed on President Clinton’s very first day in office without cause.
In Hillary Clinton’s world, when someone insults and rebuffs one of your closest friends over the phone, you don’t simply “let them go”… you completely destroy their entire life.
