Secret and Suppressed: Banned Ideas and Hidden History (49 page)

HK: You’re right. But you met with Baker..

DS: Personally.

HK: Personally? Because you know, he’s the one who cursed, who cursed the Jews.

DS: Of course, do you think I’m ever going to forgive him for that?

HK: Unbelievable. I said…

DS: Do you think I could ever forgive Bush for what he did September 12th a year ago? What he said about the Jews for lobbying in Washington?

HK: Do you think that Baker has a legitimate concern for the Jews? From what I hear, do you think he’s anti-Semitic?

DS: I wouldn’t go so far as to say that. He’s a pragmatic businessman, he’s a very tough lawyer. He does whatever it takes.

HK: And that’s why…

DS: If we didn’t have an election this year, you would get [unintelligible] from him.

HK: Let me ask you a quick question. Just a quick question here. You know Perot, you know, I’m telling you this is scary. I don’t know what you think of Perot, but if Perot hadn’t backed out… I watched the debates. I thought Perot did marvelous in the debates.

DS: He doesn’t know how to govern. He’s not going to make it. And there was an incident where his daughter was going out with a Jewish professor at school and he said, “I wouldn’t have my daughter marry a Jew.”

HK: So Perot, they say that if Perot hadn’t backed out in July, and if he would have gotten himself a good running mate, you know…

DS: He wouldn’t win, but it would go to the House of Representatives. The Democrats would win in the House of Representatives.

HK: So if it goes to the House, the Democrats would win for sure.

DS: For sure.

HK: Okay let me ask you last question and then I’ll be happy to meet with your New York people…

DS: You know, you sound like my kind of guy. How old are you?

HK: Forty-two.

DS: You’re a kid.

HK: I’m not a kid, I’m 42…

DS: I’m 63, you’re a kid.

HK: I wish I was.

DS: We’ll have to get you involved. I like you, we have a lot to talk about, about real estate, you know, I have so many great activities going on at AIPAC, you ought to think about coming to some of these things. I’ll have a dinner this fall. I’ll have 18-20 senators there. I run programs in Washington. We just had a, I had at Ted Kennedy’s house last month kosher dinner. I brought foremost caterers down. I had 60 people on the couch for dinner. Last year, I did it in Al Gore’s house.

HK: Right.

DS: Those are the things you should be getting involved in and knowing what’s going on…

HK: Let me just ask you about Clinton. I want to tell you, you may not believe this, but I think that if Perot…

DS: Yeah, he would’ve given us a hard time. What’s the name of your company, what do you do business as?

HK: We do business as HK, Inc.

DS: HK, Inc.?

HK: Right.

DS: Do you have a street address?

HK: Sure. 621 Beach 129th Street, Belle Harbor, Queens New York, 11694.

DS: Yeah, because on my computer you only show a post office box. This is your house? You work out of your house?

HK: Yeah, out of an office in the house… Look, Mr. Steiner…

DS: David. My father’s Mr. Steiner.

HK: David, let me just ask you about Clinton. Honestly, what do you feel about Clinton?

DS: Well, I’ve known Bill Clinton for seven, eight years. I think he’s got to be a lot better than George Bush. We have a lot of people in there. But he doesn’t need money, he really doesn’t need money. I’m a trustee of the Democratic National Committee. We collected $63 million for him so far.

HK: Who’s collected $63 million?

DS: The Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign have raised $63 million.

HK: So they’ve already raised $63 million, so they don’t need money.

DS: No, we need money, like we got a guy, Byron Dorgan, in North Dakota, who’s going to be very good for us and we need money to make sure that he gets in. We’ve got people like that, because [unintelligible], whatever you give them would be a tickle on the elephant’s behind. But when you give $5,000 or $10,000 to Bob Kasten, that’s very meaningful.

HK: Let me ask you, I understand what you’re saying. Clinton, when Clinton first started running a year ago, did he need money at that time?

DS: Yes, he did.

HK: I mean, did you help him out, ‘cause that’s the time…

DS: I personally am not allowed, as president of AIPAC, to get involved in the presidential campaign, because I have to deal with whoever wins. You know, I’ve got to go see Bush if he’s there, but I helped him, we raised over a million dollars for him in New Jersey.

HK: For Clinton?

DS: For Clinton.

HK: And this was when, in the beginning?

DS: In the beginning, yes. After he won, before the convention.

HK: This is before the convention?

DS: Oh sure.

HK: Okay, let me ask you, you know, I…

DS: We’ve also raised for other guys who are running too, because they’re friends. Harkin, the senator, you know you have to be with everybody.

HK: Let me ask you [talks abut getting cheated in business by Gentiles]. Let me ask you, Clinton, if he becomes, I mean what will he do for Israel, better than Bush, if he becomes, I know Bush gave you a hard time, this and that…

DS: I’ll tell you, I have friends on the Clinton campaign, close associates. Gore is very committed to us.

HK: Right, Clinton if he, have you spoken to him?

DS: I’ve known Bill for seven, eight years from the National Governors’ Association. I know him on a personal basis. I have friends. One of my friends is Hillary Clinton’s scheduler, one of my officer’s daughters works there. We gave two employees from AIPAC leaves of absence to work on the campaign. I mean, we have a dozen people in that campaign, in the headquarters.

HK: You mean in Little Rock?

DS: In Little Rock, and they’re all going to get big jobs. We have friends. I also work with a think tank, the Washington Institute. I have Michael Mandelbaum and Martin Indy k being foreign policy advisers. Steve Speigel — we’ve got friends — this is my business.

HK: I understand, David.

DS: It’s very complicated and the more you get into it, you’ll love it. You sound like a smart guy.

HK: I’m a smart guy, but I have a, maybe because I’m more orthodox than you are, I’ve had bad experiences with Gentiles. Let me ask you, you know what “tachlis” means?

DS: Yeah, sure.

HK: From a practical point of view, if Clinton wins the presidency, and I’m sure he will, I hope so at least, what will be the benefits to Israel better than Bush? From a very practical point… I mean, you just told me that Bush gave you everything you wanted…

DS: Only, not everything, at the end, when we didn’t want the F-15s, that’s a terrible thing.

HK: Selling the F-15s? If Clinton is elected…

DS: Let me tell you the problem with the $10 billion in loan guarantees, right? We only have the first year. We have authorization from Congress, but it’s at the discretion of the president every year thereafter, so if Bush is there, he could say, you know, use it as a club, you know. If you don’t give up Syria, I won’t give you the money. If you don’t give up the Golan Heights.’ It’s at the discretion of the president. And that’s why we need a friendly president and we have Bill Clinton’s ear. I talked to Bill Clinton.

HK: And Bill Clinton has made a commitment that if he’s elected…?

DS: He’s going to be very good to us.

HK: And he’ll go ahead with the loan guarantees?

DS: We didn’t talk about that specifically, listen, I didn’t ask him that, but I have full confidence that we’re going to have a much better situation. He’s got Jewish friends. A girl who worked for me at AIPAC stood up for them at their wedding. Hillary lived with her. I mean we have those relationships. We have never had that with Bush. Susan Thomases, who’s in there, worked with me on the Bradley campaign. We worked together for 13 years. She’s in there with the family. They stay with her when they come to New York. One of my officers, Monte Friedkin, is one of the biggest fund-raisers for them. I mean, I have people like that all over the country.

HK: So, I mean from a practical point of view…

DS: He’s going to be with us.

HK: I don’t say, this business, you say, Bush only went ahead with the loan guarantees for one year.

DS: We only have. It’s mandatory they give us the $2 billion for one year. After that it’s subject to the discretion of the president.

HK: You mean the other $8 billion

DS: That’s correct. On an annualized basis.

HK: Also, I heard that…

DS: They don’t have to give it to us.

HK: But if Clinton is elected…

DS: … feel reasonably certain we’re gonna get it.

Hk: He’s made that commitment?

DS: Well, he said he’s going to help us. He’s got something in his heart for the Jews, he has Jewish friends. Bush has no Jewish friends.

HK: Right.

DS: Reagan had something …
meshuga,
but at least he had a commitment. He knew Jews from the film industry, he was one of the best guys for us. He had an emotional thing for the Jews. Bush doesn’t have it. That’s what it is really, if you have a feeling for our people, for what we believe in. Bush is, there’s a man with no principles. Absolutely no principles.

HK: I heard something about, but I never really understood it, with the scoring. One of my friends told me there’s a difference in the scoring, but I don’t understand…

DS: Scoring is like points that you pay.

HK: So let’s say, if Bush is elected on the loans…

DS: No, we’ve got the scoring arranged, it’s four and a half percent. It’s all done.

HK: That’s all done, even with Bush?

DS: Even with Bush. I’ve got that worked out.

HK: So that’s all done.

DS: It’s in the bill. It’s all passed. He signed the bill. It’s a matter of law.

HK: So it’s already four and a half percent.

DS: We could’ve had it less, but then we couldn’t…

HK: And Clinton, if he was president, he would give…?

DS: He couldn’t change it, you cannot change it.

HK: No, but I’m saying, if he was president now, before the bill was signed, he would’ve given you the four and a half percent…

DS: I would’ve gotten less.

HK: I’m sorry?

DS: I would’ve gotten it cheaper.

HK: How much? Even two percent.

DS: Yeah, we thought we were going to get two percent. But Rabin gave it away.

HK: You mean Rabin didn’t bargain as good as he could have?

DS: That’s right.

HK: Unbelievable. So, if Clinton is elected, that will be the best…

DS: I think that will be the best we could do.

HK: You know, I just want to tell you one last thing. Do you have parents that come from Europe?

DS: Yeah, of course, from Glolitzano, near Krakow.

HK: You’re kidding, your parents are from Krakow?

DS: Near Krakow.