Coulter: "[I]f you attack the Clintons publicly, make sure all your friends know that you are not planning suicide"

On the August 23 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, right-wing pundit Ann Coulter asserted: "[I]f you attack the Clintons publicly, make sure all your friends know that you are not planning suicide, that you're not careless when you drive a car." Coulter was apparently referring to conservative allegations that the Clintons were somehow involved in the death of Clinton deputy White House counsel Vincent Foster. As Media Matters for America has repeatedly documented (here, here, and here), numerous investigations have determined that Foster's death was a suicide. The Office of the Independent Counsel -- then headed by Republican Kenneth Starr -- completed its inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Foster's death with a report issued on October 11, 1997, which concluded that "based on investigation and analysis of the evidentiary record ... Mr. Foster committed suicide by gunshot in Fort Marcy Park."

Coulter made her comments following co-host Sean Hannity's assertion that Michelle Obama, Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) wife, and former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) have recently attacked Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) but "won't admit it." Hannity then asked, "Why are they all afraid to mention Hillary Clinton by name when they have, you know, differences with her?"

Media Matters has documented numerous instances of conservative allegations that the Clintons were behind Foster's death. Specifically, nationally syndicated radio host Rush Limbaugh has repeatedly suggested (here, here, here, here, and here) that the Clintons were involved in Foster's death, often invoking the location of Foster's suicide, Fort Marcy Park in Northern Virginia, in his allegations. Additionally, on the July 22 edition of Fox News' Hannity's America, Hannity teased a segment on "the mysterious death of Vince Foster" by asking: "Did a close friend of Hillary Clinton commit suicide, or was it a massive cover-up?"

Responding to Hannity's question about "[w]hy [political opponents] are ... all afraid to mention Hillary Clinton by name," Coulter also stated: "Because if you attack Ann Coulter, you don't end up with your cat killed or your tires slashed," adding: "Of course they're afraid." Coulter was apparently referring to allegations made by Kathleen Willey that were documented in the final report on the Monica Lewinsky matter by independent counsel Robert W. Ray. In the report, Ray, a Republican, wrote of Willey's deposition in the case Jones v. Clinton, in which Willey testified about allegations that President Clinton made sexual advances toward her:

Willey also alleged that in the period immediately preceding her January 1998 Jones deposition, her cat disappeared, her tires were punctured, and a male jogger who she did not recognize approached her at her rural home, called her by name, and asked about her tires, cat (which he named), children (whom he named), attorney, and her attorney's children (whom he also named), saying 'I hope you're getting the message' or 'You're just not getting the message, are you?' ... At her Jones deposition, however, Willey testified no one had tried to discourage her from testifying.

Moreover, Hannity, apparently referring to remarks Michelle Obama made in an August 16 speech, stated: "Michelle Obama attacks Hillary Clinton. We all know who she's talking about. They won't admit it." As Media Matters has noted, numerous media figures have asserted that Obama was attacking Clinton when she said, "Our view is that if you can't run your own house, you certainly can't run the White House." However, immediately after her comment about the ability to "run your own house," Obama went on to discuss measures her family was taking to keep their children "grounded" while campaigning and the efforts the Obamas are making to ensure that their children will continue to "come first." From her August 16 remarks:

MICHELLE OBAMA: That one of the most important things that we need to know about the next President of the United States is, is he somebody that shares our values? Is he somebody that respects family? Is a good and decent person? So our view was that, if you can't run your own house, you certainly can't run the White House. So, so we've adjusted our schedules to make sure that our girls are first, so while he's traveling around, I do day trips. That means I get up in the morning, I get the girls ready, I get them off, I go and do trips, I'm home before bedtime. So the girls know that I was gone somewhere, but they don't care. They just know that I was at home to tuck them in at night, and it keeps them grounded, and, and children, the children in our country have to know that they come first. And our girls do and that's why we're doing this. We're in this race for not just our children, but all of our children.

As Media Matters has also noted, the Obama campaign has denied that Michelle Obama was attacking Clinton or anyone else.

From the August 23 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes:

HANNITY: You know, one of the things I find amazing: Edwards, in a speech -- finally, he wrote a new speech after five years. It's an amazing thing. We got away from the "Two Americas" speech. But in the new speech, he attacks Hillary Clinton. It's clear he attacks Hillary Clinton, but he won't admit it. Michelle Obama attacks Hillary Clinton. We all know who she's talking about. They won't admit it. Why are they all afraid to mention Hillary Clinton by name when they have, you know, differences with her?

STEVE MURPHY (Democratic strategist): You got me. I don't know what you get out of -- go ahead. You answer it, Ann, because I have no idea.

COULTER: Because if you attack Ann Coulter, you don't end up with your cat killed or your tires slashed. Or being audited by the IRS, as happened to, oh, Kathleen Willey, Paula Jones, all the other ones who attacked the Clintons. Of course they're afraid.

MURPHY: All these -- all of these -- all of these attacks, these like nameless attacks don't get anybody anything. This country is in a total mess right now.

HANNITY: But wait a minute. Here's the thing --

MURPHY: We're in terrible shape. Here and abroad, the voters want the candidates to address how they're going to get out of that mess.

HANNITY: All right, Steve --

MURPHY: That is why John Edwards is dropping. He's not dropping because he's attacking you, Ann. He's dropping because he's not attacking the issues.

HANNITY: Let me throw this to Ann Coulter. Ann, the AP had a story last week. They interviewed 40 prominent Democrats, every region of the country. And they all said that their internal polling shows that Hillary Clinton, if she's the nominee, is going to be a drag on the ticket. They're all scared to death. Only one guy from Indiana, a guy by the name of Crook, would speak out and go on the record. The other 40 Democrats, the AP cited, for fear of retribution, they don't want to attack Hillary Clinton or the Clinton machine publicly. I mean, they seem -- they seem to instill real fear in people.

COULTER: Right, and if you attack the Clintons publicly, make sure all your friends know that you are not planning suicide, that you're not careless when you drive a car.

COLMES: By the way, Ann, how do you know Obama was -- Michelle Obama was not attacking Rudy Giuliani when she talked about family values? She said nothing about Bill Clinton. You have no evidence that that's who she was attacking --

COULTER: Because we're in the primary now, Alan.