If there's anyone who knows how Bill Clinton feels, it's John Gotti (right).

Like Clinton, Gotti made the cover of Time Magazine (left).

Like Clinton, Gotti was hounded by federal grand jury investigations from the moment he made it to the top of the heap.

And like Clinton, Gotti's top aides and his minions were hounded, threatened and dragged in for questioning about alleged wrongdoings that took place before his coronation and for alleged missteps that occurred afterwards.

With Clinton it's been Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr (left) looking into Whitewater and Monica Lewinsky and following up every rumor, confirmed or not.

Gotti had assistant U.S. attorney John Gleeson  probing the mob assassination of Paul Castellano  and lots more.

Clinton surely holds the same sentiment toward Starr that an exasperated Gotti expressed about Gleeson during a court session in the latter part of 1991.

"I've been his only defendant," said Gotti, pointing his finger across the courtroom at Gleeson (right). "I'm not worried about their phony tapes or their phony transcripts this guy made up."

At about the same time -- late 1991 -- a tape-recorded comment Clinton made comparing then-New York Governor Mario Cuomo to a Gotti-like thug got him in hot water with Italian Americans. In a spicy conversation with Gennifer Flowers, Clinton said Cuomo was a   "mean son of a bitch" who "acts like"a Mafioso.

Slick Willy employed a tactic that one of the Dapper Don's lawyers would use later on. He apologized for his gutter talk, saying he had gotten caught up in the heat of a tough Presidential campaign and didn't really mean it.

Last week, as Starr hauled Presidential adviser Bruce Lindsey and Lewinksy's mother before a federal grand jury, Clinton allies announced the creation of a legal defense fund to help defray some $3.2 billion in legal fees.

One $32,000 a year Clinton aide had to borrow $400 to pay a lawyer. A former press secretary had to get money from his parents. And Hillary Rodham Clinton's former chief of staff owed a staggering $350,000 in legal fees.

In a story in The New York Times by Adam Nagourney, Clinton's former top aide George Stephanopoulos, who testified before the panel last month, noted that "a single trip to the grand jury can cost you $10,000. Watch the parade into the grand jury. Every time a White House aide walks into that room, a lawyer is racking up fees."

Legal fees were always a sore point with Gotti:

"These are rats. They all want their money up front," Gotti told his top henchmen in 1990, complaining about his lawyers, who included Gerald Shargel, Bruce Cutler, John Pollok and Edwin Schulman. "And then, you get four guys that want 65, 75 thousand a piece, up front. You're talking about three hundred thousand in one month..... Where we going here?

"This is what bothers me. I paid $135,000 for their appeal -- for Joe Gallo and Joe Piney's (Joe Armone) appeal. I paid thousands of dollars to Pollok. That was not for me. I paid $17,500 for printing. I just got hit with another $12,800 for printing. That's $170,000 for printing these fucking minutes and (to) prepare briefs, whatever you fucking call 'em.

"Then I gave 'em $25,000 for Carneg's (John Carneglia) appeal. That's what I told him (Shargel) last night: 'I gave youse $300,000 in one year...Before youse made a court appearance, youse got $40,000, $35,000  and $25,000. That's without counting John Pollok. He's brand new on the scene.'"They each need backup lawyers. He needs that Schulman, that little guy. He's gonna get $5000 a week...."

With a little prodding from underboss Sammy Bull Gravano and consigliere Frank Locascio, Gotti really got rolling and roiling. He continued recounting his conversation with Shargel, ending in a flourish with a memorable phrase that helped disqualify his lawyers from representing him at the racketeering trial that finally brought him down.

"You know what it felt like? You standing in the hallway with me last night, and you're plucking me. '(You're) Tony Lee's lawyer, but you're plucking me. I'm paying for it. You got Sammy, you got one hand in his pocket. You got both hands in Joe Butch's pocket.' Where does it end? Gambino Crime Family? This is the Shargel, Cutler and who-do-you-call-it crime family."

The late Lucchese mobster Sally Shillitani, whose name appeared on a list of made guys found in the basement of a Queens social club linked to acting Gambino boss  John A. (Junior) Gotti, was a onetime buddy of the first Mafioso to break his vow of omerta -- Joseph (Cago) Valachi.

Shillitani was inducted along with Valachi (right) primarily to serve as shooters in the 1931 Castellamarese War. Both had been members of a robbery crew and Valachi recommended him as a good prospect, according to Valachi's account.

After the war, Valachi and Shillitani had a falling out and split up, with Valachi eventually ending up with the Genovese family and Shillitani with the Luccheses.

In the early 1950's, Shillitani was busted for heroin trafficking, convicted, and hit with 15 years. He was pretty much forgotten until his name turned up on a list of Lucchese mobsters found in a Queens basement. He died in 1985, according to the list, which certain mobsters wish had also died.

Gone were his Dapper Don duds and the large, gold pinkie ring he wore to court for his trial. Instead Asaro, 63, was dressed suitably for a trip to the Riker's Island jail -- a casual velour sweat suit and clean white sneakers.

His attire may have been suitable, but his actions weren't, especially for a veteran mobster.

"I didn't hurt anybody, your honor," Asaro whined.  "I didn't kill anybody. There was no harm done. Anybody else, they would've offered a plea. They never gave me a chance."

Queens Judge Arthur Cooperman sentenced him to six months, revoked his bail, and ordered him directly to jail. But as a morose Asaro waited in a courthouse holding cell, his lawyer got an appeals court judge to reverse Cooperman's bail decision -- at least until today.

ASK ANDY

Last week's Gang Land account of assertions by former Lucchese acting boss Alfonse (Little Al) D'Arco that Henry Ford had gotten mob help in the 1930's brought several letters seeking more information about the topic. This is the focus of this week's report by Gang Land's resident expert, Andy, who is pictured at the right reading one of his favorite Mafia books, Mob Star.

As Henry Ford neared his 70th birthday in 1930, he decided that his only son Edsel wasn't tough enough to take over the Ford Motor Company so he brought in some muscle to help do battle with the company's workers and competitors, according to noted scholar Stephen Fox, author of Blood and Power.

The muscle was a man named Harry Bennett. Bennett was put in charge
of the Service Department which really meant he was in charge of plant
security. In short order, Bennett -- with Ford's backing -- began to wield great power. He had many jobs at his disposal to reward those who helped  him. At one time, the Ford Motor Company had 100,000 workers at its River Rouge assembly plant. The economy of the city of Dearborn Michigan was dependent on the company, and this gave Bennett tremendous clout with political leaders and police officials.

Around this time, Bennett became involved in a Cosa Nostra civil war in Detroit. The Boss of the Detroit Family, Gaspar Milazzo had been gunned down in a preliminary battle of the famous Castellamarese War. Ford (left) told Bennett to contact the Cosa Nostra powers in Detroit to try to bring this problem to a close. Bennett met the new Detroit boss, Chet La Mare, who impressed Bennett as the man to deal with. For some reason -- most likely a combination of fear and promises of cash -- Bennett awarded La Mare a Ford dealership and the valuable fruit concession at the River Rouge plant.

Whatever promise La Mare made, he never delivered. He was murdered in
1931. Bennett was still eager to have tough mobsters on his side so he got the Dearborn police chief to introduce him to Detroit mobster Tony D'Anna.
Bennett granted D'Anna a Ford dealership and the lucrative exclusive contracts to haul Ford cars from the River Rouge and Highland Park plants. D'Anna would keep these contracts for at least 20 years. Once again, one can only speculate what Bennett received for this largesse.

In 1932, Bennett blessed another gangster with a very profitable contract to haul Ford cars. This time it was powerful New York mobster Giuseppe (Joe Adonis) Doto, who controlled the The Automotive Conveying Company. The company was awarded exclusive rights to haul transport cars from the Edgewater, NJ plant.

In yet another deal with a mobster, Bennett hired muscle men connected to Peter Licavoli to work as security guards for the Ford Company. Once in the door, Licavoli wanted more and demanded that the men receive raises of $9 an hour. Bennett made a serious mistake and fired the whole lot of them. A short while later, Bennett was run off the road and nearly killed. He turned to Joe Adonis for protection, and got it.

To understand why Ford would become involved with gangsters one has to
remember the times when these events took place. Discontent with the  barons of industry was at a peak. The success of the Communist party in
Russia had created great interest in socialist philosophy in the United
States. It was common to link all legitimate union activity with Communists. Ford Motor Company was determined to keep the unions out at all cost. Bennett increased his security forces by 3000 men -- some allegedly tried to kill  Walter Reuther, head of The United Autoworkers Union. By getting in bed with the mob, Bennett gained access to men who were not adverse to using violence to keep out the unions.

The escalation in mayhem led to great pressure on Ford from the federal government. As a result, Ford settled with the United Autoworkers Union
in 1941. A few years later, Edsel Ford died and was replaced by his son,
Henry Ford II. He promptly fired the controversial Bennett but both Doto and D'Anna kept their lucrative hauling contracts. In 1951, Doto was hauled before the Kefauver Senate Committee which was investigating organized crime. He "sold" his business to another gangster, Charlie Chiri. By 1956, Doto  had been deported to Italy and it is not clear if he kept a piece of the car hauling business.