The King of Oil: The Secret Lives of Marc Rich

Gabrielle’s husband.)
    A letter from Denise Rich dated December 6 was the first personal letter attached to the pardon petition. “I am writing as a friend and an admirer of yours,” Denise wrote to the president. “I support this application with all my heart.” Her letter, which Jack Quinn helped write, was a masterpiece. It appealed to the president’s emotions while referring to Clinton’s own bad experiences with aggressive prosecutors.
     
The pain and suffering caused by that unjust indictment battered more than my husband—it struck his daughters and me. We have lived with it for so many years. We live with it now. There is no reason why it should have gone on so long. Exile for seventeen years is enough. So much of what has been said about Marc as a result of the indictment and exile is just plain wrong, yet it has continued to damage Marc and his family. . . .
    Because of the indictment, I have seen what happens when charges are falsely—even if just incorrectly—made against those closest to you, and what it feels like to see the press try and convict the accused without regard for the truth. I know the immense frustration that comes when the prosecutors will not discuss their charges, and when no one will look at the facts in a fair way. My husband and I could not return to the United Sates [sic] because, while the charges were untrue, no one would listen—all the prosecutors appeared to think about was the prospect of imprisoning Marc for the rest of his life. With a life sentence at stake, and press and media fueled by the US Attorney, we felt he had no choice but to remain out of the country.
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    One week after President Clinton received the petition for Rich’s pardon, Denise also spoke directly to the president about the issue. On December 20 she was a guest at a dinner in Washington to honor the winners of the National Medal of Arts and the National Humanities Medal. During a quiet moment, Denise pulled the president to one side and told him that the pardon “would mean a lot to me.” 17
    It was rather surprising that Denise should make such an effort to stand up for her ex-husband. Her relationship to Marc Rich was virtually nonexistent at that point. The two had not spoken—let alone seen one another—for years after their bitter and nasty divorce. Denise not only resented the fact that he had left her for a younger woman, she also felt that Rich had wronged her financially. She still believed that he had cheated her by not matching the40 million that she had contributed to the charitable foundation they had founded together in 1988—even though her claims were rejected by a Swiss court (see chapter 16 ). She was so angry with her ex-husband that she even made a financial contribution of1,000 to the campaign of Rich’s nemesis, Rudolph W. Giuliani.
    It had been Avner Azulay’s idea to include Denise Rich in Operation Avenue of Last Resort. He visited her in November 2000 and asked for her support. “He screwed me. He owes me money,” Denise replied. “I want the money he owes me for the foundation—40 million.” Azulay was shocked. He knew that Marc and Denise did not get along, but he had not expected such deep resentment. Azulay told Denise that it would look very strange if she, the mother of Rich’s children, did not stand up for her ex-husband. He promised her, “If you help us now, I will talk to Marc.” Only after a number of meetings and many long discussions did Denise finally agree to use her influence with the president to help her ex-husband.
    What motivated Denise to throw her weight behind her ex-husband’s petition? I asked her this question during our conversation in her Manhattan penthouse. I was sitting next to her on a leather sofa taking notesand was having trouble keeping up with what she was saying. I could record our conversation if I liked, Denise said. “I have nothing to hide.” Danielle laughed and said, “That’s my mother. Everybody else is worried about themselves and she is worried about you.” Denise went on to explain that she had been willing to help because “my children asked me to support the pardon. They’re my children. How could I not?” Yes, but you had been so angry with him, I remarked. You had publicly accused him of destroying your family. Denise thought about this for a moment before saying, “Every divorce is bitter. He’s still the father of my children.” She then told me how Gabrielle’s death had