The Clinton administration is at the centre of allegations that it has bent strict rules to reward friends and Democratic Party donors with family graves in America's most famous resting place.The allegations particularly concern waivers allowing burials at the Arlington National Cemetery granted by the army secretary, Togo West, since 1993. Arlington is the national military cemetery and strict rules govern the right to be buried on the hilly riverside site overlooking Washington. Criteria include length of service, war decorations and whether the deceased held high public office. Many war veterans are routinely denied.Among those buried there are former president John Kennedy, his widow, Jacqueline, and his brother, Robert, as well as the boxer Joe Louis.Bill Clinton has personally granted waivers for a supreme court judge, the wife of another judge, a Drug Enforcement Administration agent killed in Peru and a veteran of the marines killed while on duty in the police. None of these appears to be controversial.However, it is 58 waivers issued by West that are the focus of a continuing investigation by the House of Representatives veterans affairs subcommittee on oversight and investigations.``There are nine cases that raise eyebrows,'' a committee investigator said. ``They don't fit into the pattern, for different reasons, of how a waiver is normally granted.''Republican Terry Everett, the subcommittee chairman, said there was ``no rhyme nor reason'' for some of the waivers. He claimed that in 10 cases the cemetery superintendent recommended refusal, but was overruled by West.``There would obviously have to be some favouritism or they wouldn't have been given the waiver,'' Everett claimed.He has so far refused to give the names of the cases his committee is investigating, but said his staff will announce names matching those of published Democrat donors in January. The investigation began after complaints from veterans' families and government whistleblowers, Everett said.The White House denied that any of the burial waivers was improperly issued. Presidential counsel Lanny Davis called the allegations scurrilous.``The President and this administration consider Arlington National Cemetery and other national and veterans' cemeteries across the country to be hallowed ground. It would be outrageous for anyone to grant or influence the granting of exceptions under the rules for burial at national cemeteries because of political or fundraising considerations.''Anxious to exploit any story that adds to the charge list of alleged abuses of office against the President or his administration, Republican opponents have seized on the claims.They say Arlington waivers are running at record levels under Clinton's presidency and have been handed out at three times the rate of issue during the Reagan and Bush administrations.
