Who Visits the Clintons?

Last fall after questions regarding former President Bill Clinton's business dealings came to light, CBS News sought to answer the question – who visits the Clinton's Chappaqua home? Since the former president has Secret Service protection, each visitor is public record.

The long-lost answer is no one but maintenance workers, maids and landscapers.

"How can they give this to you with a straight face?" says Chris Farrell of Judicial Watch who has been locked in his own battle with the Secret Service over White House visitor logs.

The saga spans six months. On November 21, 2007, CBS News filed a freedom of information request for a year and a half's worth of visitation logs from the Clinton Chappaqua home.

Four months later CBS received a letter from the Secret Service stating "there are no records or documents pertaining to your request." Stunned, we asked the Secret Service, how could this be? They recanted. It was a mistake, they said. There are records, it would just take time for redaction and clearance.

A month later, CBS received the logs for six months … 100% redacted. The only visible notations were the date and the time the visitor came and went. The letter cited two reasons for the redactions: privacy and the records were related to internal personnel rules.

Within days we filed an appeal. If taxpayers pay for the Clinton's security, we argued, why can't the public see who visits their home? Still the legal deadline passed with no response. It took a call from our lawyer to shake anything loose.

We finally got their response, six months after the original request. No names but affiliations were now listed. Foreign leaders? Corporate executives? No, it's the pool guy, the painter and many landscapers.

What do we conclude?

The Secret Service does not record the names of anyone other than the home maintenance workers who visit the Clintons…or we can assume, no one visits the Clintons except for maids and the occasional camera crew. Even when it's obvious that they are having a party, (visit from party rental and caterers) the guests are not logged.

It takes the Secret Service six months and a legal appeal to reveal something as sensitive as the fact that the Con Ed guy checks the meters at the Clinton home.

Despite redacting the name and social security numbers of every single person who visits the Clintons citing privacy concerns, the Secret Service accidentally leaves the name and social security numbers of the Clinton's maid, general contractor and electrician exposed. Kathy Shaffer of the general counsel's office at the Secret Service concedes, "that was probably done inadvertently."

Farrell of Judicial Watch says, "It raises question as to whether or not the Secret Service is logging entry of all people visiting the home, if not it is very curious." He adds, "I guess the real question is, who really does visit the Clintons?"