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 the
following are excerpst from the book in which Lynda Carter is mentioned: |
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(…) While Clifford
concentrated on cultivating Democrats, Altman developed friendships with
members of both parties. His social success owed much to his wife, the
actress Lynda Carter. She was known for her starring role in the 19 70s
television show Wonder Woman, based on the comic book character. She
later became a spokeswoman for Maybelline cosmetics, whose parent
company was a client of Altman's. A company official introduced them,
and they were married in January 1984. The ceremony, held in the posh
Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles, was a glittering affair.
Clifford was the best man and the guests included Washington power
brokers as well as such Holly` wood celebrities as Loni Anderson, Ed
McMahon, and Valerie Harper. Abedi attended the wedding, and he gave the
bride an unforgettable present, a Jaguar XYS sports car. "He said I
could have any one I wanted," she later recalled. "Well, I picked a
black jag, but he would have given me a Mercedes, a Ferrari, anything."
In Hollywood, Lynda Carter had never been more than a grade B television
actress. In Washington, a city full of drab bureaucrats, she represented
style and glamour, and the Altmans became prominent socialites. Their
mansion in suburban Potomac, Maryland - purchased for $2.6 million in
1987 -was the site of many opulent parties attended by the cream of
official Washington. Lynda Carter has been nothing less than a magnet
for several senior Republicans. Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah displays a
picture of himself with the actress in his office and frequently refers
to her husband as "my good friend." The Altmans' social circle also
includes a large number of people close to George Bush. (…) |
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(…)The two lawyers
were accompanied by their wives. Margery Pepperell Kimball Clifford,
known as Marny, was the picture of the upperclass matron in her black
dress and pearls. Lynda Carter Altman wore a tight minidress and seemed
to personify Hollywood glitz. The two women took their seats behind
their husbands. (…) |
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(…)Several Bush
Cabinet members and White House aides socialized with Robert Altman and
his wife. In the fall of 1990, the Altmans held a surprise birthday
party at their Potomac, Maryland, home for Michael Boskin, chairman of
the President's Council of Economic Advisers. Several of Boskin's
friends lined up in the mansion's huge atrium wearing Groucho Marx masks
to lampoon the economist's prominent nose, eyebrows, and spectacles. The
guests included Secretary of Commerce Robert Mosbacher, White House
Chief of Staff John Sununu, and Jack Kemp, the secretary of housing and
urban development." Altman was particularly close to Mosbacher and
Samuel Skinner, who served as transportation secretary and then as White
House chief of staff. Lynda Carter, Altman's wife, socialized with their
wives, Georgette Mosbacher and Honey Skinner. Mosbacher, an oil tycoon
from Texas, had raised large amounts of money for Bush's 1988
presidential run before taking over the Commerce Department. In 1991, he
left that post to become director of Bush's reelection campaign. When he
served in the cabinet, he talked to Altman at least every couple of
weeks, according to an aide; he once left Scowcroft on hold in the
middle of a conversation as he chatted with Altman on another line. (…) |
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(…)Altman has also
been a generous donor. In 1991, it was reported that he had made about
$23,872 in federal contributions since 1987. He gave $500 to two
Democratic candidates during the 1988 presidential race, Governor
Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts and Congressman Gephardt. Altman's wife
contributed $4,000 to candidates for federal office in 1987-88,
including $1,000 to the presidential campaign of the Republican senator
Robert Dole of Kansas. She also gave to Congressman John Dingell of
Michigan. (…) |
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(…)Hatch said that
he had been briefed about the plea bargain by justice Department
officials, adding in a subsequent interview that he had "chatted with
people around [Attorney General Richard] Thornburgh." He also
acknowledged having met with BCCI's defense lawyers - something he had
failed to mention in the speech - and that Robert and Lynda Altman were
close friends of his. But the senator's ties to the BCCI network were
much closer than those remarks suggested. (…) |
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(…)On September 10,
Clifford and Altman arrived at the federal courthouse in Washington to
find out where they would be tried. After a brief introductory
statement, judge Green announced her decision: the trial would take
place in New York, providing it began no later than March 1993. This was
a devastating blow to Clifford and Altman, and they were unable to
conceal their shock. One year earlier, when they were grilled by the
House Banking Committee, they seemed remarkably cool. No longer. Upon
hearing the judge's ruling, Altman buried his face in his hands. When he
left the courtroom with his wife, Lynda, they both appeared shaken.
Clifford was more composed, perhaps because his health problems could
enable him to avoid prosecution. (…) |
Serial and Year: 1992.
