A Hillary Clinton donor who serves as dean of the University of Arkansas libraries has banned the Washington Free Beacon from the school’s special collections archives, after the news outlet published revealing stories about Hillary Clinton based on documents available at the university library.
The ban came days after the Free Beacon ran a story about Clinton’s 1975 defense of a child rapist that drew from audio recordings available at the University of Arkansas library’s special collections archives.
However, the ban was not mentioned in a June 16 email to this reporter from Steve Voorhies, manager of media relations at the university.
"Congratulations on another fine mining expedition into the University of Arkansas Libraries archives," Voorhies wrote.
"I appreciate you raising the profile of the University of Arkansas Libraries special collections," Voorhies concluded his email, while asking for advanced notice prior to future stories.
"I expect there is more you will find in coming months," he said.
Library dean Carolyn Henderson Allen informed editor-in-chief Matthew Continetti in a June 17 letter that the library had "officially suspended" the Free Beacon's research privileges.
The Free Beacon published the Hillary Papers, drawn from the archive of the late Clinton confidante Diane Blair, in February. Those papers are also housed in the special collections at the University of Arkansas.
"I am writing you to direct you and the Washington Beacon Press to cease and desist your ongoing violation of the intellectual property rights of the University of Arkansas with regard to your unauthorized publication of audio recordings obtained from the Roy Reed Collection," wrote Allen.
According to Allen, who contributed $500 to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2007, the Free Beacon violated library rules by failing to submit a form requesting permission to publish the materials.
Allen called on the news outlet to "immediately remove the audio recordings of the Roy Reed Collection from your website" and "immediately return all audio recordings obtained from the Roy Reed Collection previously provided to you."
The Clinton donor also expressed deep disappointment with the Free Beacon.
"I am very disappointed in your willful failure to comply with the policies of Special Collections," she wrote.
"The University of Arkansas takes great pride in making materials, such as the Roy Reed Collection, available to researchers from around the world. The University, however, does not tolerate the blatant and willful disregard of its intellectual property rights and policies."
Allen said the university would consider lifting the suspension if the Free Beacon complied with all its demands to remove the materials from its website.
Allen’s letter was also copied to University of Arkansas Chancellor G. David Gearhart, a former student of both Bill and Hillary Clinton at the law school.
According to the 1993 book Hillary Rodham Clinton: A First Lady for Our Time by Donnie Radcliffe, Gearhart recalled that as a professor, Hillary Clinton "expected a lot from us and gave a lot in return."
Clinton gave Gearhart a C-plus in the class. "Frankly, I was glad to get it," he told Radcliffe.
Gearhart’s brother, Van Gearhart, was the student coordinator for the legal aid clinic that Clinton was running when she defended the 41-year-old child rapist.
"The Clinton machine and its army of librarians won't be able to keep us out of that archive," Continetti said in a statement. "Who knows? We may be in there right now."