who was the prosecuting attorney for whitewater scandal

Who was the special prosecutor in the Whitewater case?

He was the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 1976 to 1980 after earlier having served as an assistant in the office from 1957 to 1961. Attorney General Janet Reno appointed Fiske as the special prosecutor to investigate the Whitewater controversy and the death of White House Counsel Vince Foster in January 1994.

Who was convicted as a result of the Whitewater scandal?

A number of Clinton associates were convicted as a result of the Whitewater scandal. The Clintons' partners in the deal, James and Susan McDougal, each went to prison. James McDougal received a 3.5-year sentence for fraud.

What happened to the Independent Counsel after the Whitewater investigation?

The length, expense, and results of the Whitewater investigations turned the public against the Office of the Independent Counsel; even Kenneth Starr was opposed to it. The Independent Counsel law was allowed to expire in 1999. ^ a b Jeff Gerth, "Clintons Joined S.& L. Operator In an Ozark Real-Estate Venture", New York Times, March 8, 1992.

Who was the star witness in the Whitewater investigation?

The Whitewater Investigation. The investigation continued, with Kenneth Starr at the helm and businessman David Hale as the star witness. Starr alleged that Bill Clinton, during his term as governor of Arkansas, pressured Hale to make an illegal $300,000 federally-backed loan to Susan McDougal.

What happened to Susan McDougal?

After serving four months on the Whitewater fraud conviction, she was released for medical reasons. After McDougal's release, her embezzlement trial in California began. In 1998, McDougal was acquitted on all 12 counts.

Is Jim McDougal still alive?

March 8, 1998Jim McDougal / Date of death

Who was Ken during Whitewater?

Kenneth Winston Starr (born July 21, 1946) is an American lawyer who served as a United States circuit judge and 39th solicitor general of the United States. He is best known for heading an investigation of members of the Clinton administration, known as the Whitewater controversy, from 1994 to 1998.

Who was Bill Clinton's secretary?

Betty Grace Currie (née Williams; born November 10, 1939) is an American government official who served as the personal secretary for Bill Clinton during his tenure as president of the United States.

What is political Whitewater?

Nomenclature. The term "Whitewater" is sometimes used to include other controversies from the Bill Clinton administration, especially Travelgate, Filegate, and the circumstances surrounding Vince Foster's death, that were also investigated by the Whitewater Independent Counsel.

Who was the prosecutor for the Whitewater deal?

Allegations surfaced during the investigation, which was led by special prosecutor Robert B. Fiske, that Clinton pressured David Hale—former president of a small business investment firm—into making a loan for the Whitewater deal.

What was the Whitewater scandal?

The Whitewater scandal was a real estate controversy that came to public attention in the 1990s. It involved former President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary along with their associates. It was a failed investment into a land development venture known as Whitewater. 1 . After a series of lengthy investigations into the matter—famously led by ...

What was the outcome of the Whitewater land deal?

Outcome. All three inquiries into the Whitewater land deal yielded insufficient evidence to charge the Clintons with criminal conduct. However, several of their associates were convicted as a result of the investigations including James McDougal, who was convicted of fraud and conspiracy charges in 1997 relating to loans made with Madison. 1  8 . ...

What was the name of the real estate investment that James McDougal backed?

In 1986, federal regulators investigated another real estate investment—a construction project called Castle Grande—backed by James McDougal. The investigation led to McDougal's resignation from Madison Guaranty and the eventual collapse of the bank. 2  Its failure cost the government $73 million as it was federally-insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). 10  11 

Who was the governor of Arkansas in 1978?

When Bill Clinton was elected as governor of Arkansas in 1978, he and Hillary—who was an associate at a law firm—began looking for ways to boost their income. James McDougal approached the Clintons to join the venture with him and his wife, Susan, and they agreed. The Clintons were already acquainted with the McDougals, Bill having met James as an intern at the office of senator J. William Fulbright. The two couples agreed to purchase 230 acres of land in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas that would become the Whitewater Development Corporation. 3  1 

Who did Bill Clinton pressure to make a loan to Susan McDougal?

Starr alleged that Bill Clinton, during his term as governor of Arkansas, pressured Hale to make an illegal $300,000 federally-backed loan to Susan McDougal. 15  1  The allegation lost much of its credibility after Hale was convicted of numerous felonies. 1  16 .

Who is Brian Beers?

Brian Beers is a digital editor, writer, Emmy-nominated producer, and content expert with 15+ years of experience writing about corporate finance & accounting, fundamental analysis, and investing. The Whitewater scandal was a real estate controversy that came to public attention in the 1990s.

What was the Whitewater investigation?

“Whitewater” was the popular nickname for a series of investigations of President William Jefferson Clinton that lasted nearly seven years and concluded with his impeachment by the U.S. House of Representatives and acquittal by the Senate, making him the second U.S. president to be impeached. The investigations began in 1994 as an inquiry by an independent U.S. counsel into the propriety of real-estate transactions involving Clinton and his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, in 1978, when he was attorney general of Arkansas and shortly before he became governor. It morphed through many phases until the independent counsel looked into allegations of illicit sexual encounters when Clinton was governor and president.

What was the Whitewater case?

Whitewater resurfaced in 1992 when Clinton ran for president.

What did Foster do for the Clintons?

Foster had handled Whitewater issues for the Clintons since the campaign and had become the focus of criticism in the media, mainly the Wall Street Journal. In his White House office, he left a bitter note about not having been meant for the spotlight in Washington DC, where “ruining people is considered sport.”.

How much did the Whitewater investigation cost?

The active investigation ended in 2001, but the independent counsel office did not close until May 2004. The Whitewater investigation cost more than $70 million.

How much money did Hale advance?

He had advanced $2.04 million to thirteen dummy corporations that he controlled. Hale’s business also had extensive transactions in the 1980s with the McDougals, Jim Guy Tucker (who by 1993 was governor of Arkansas), and several prominent Republican officials. Those transactions later formed the basis of criminal charges against James ...

How many votes did the Senate need to reject the Perjury Article 45–55?

On February 12, after hearing a dramatic closing argument for Clinton by former Arkansas senator Dale Bumpers, the Senate rejected the perjury article 45–55 and the obstruction of justice article 50–50; both needed a two-thirds majority, or sixty-seven votes.

Why was Tucker's conviction voided?

Tucker argued before appellate courts that his plea and his conviction should be voided because the prosecutor had pursued him under a non-existent law. The Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in 2005 that he had to abide by his guilty plea, and the U.S. Supreme Court refused to take up his appeal.

Who was the attorney general of the Clinton scandal?

Just as one mammoth scandal ended, another soon began. In August 1994, at the request of Attorney General Janet Reno , the federal judiciary appointed Kenneth Starr, a former federal judge and solicitor general, to investigate President Bill Clinton’s and Hillary Clinton’s real estate deals in Arkansas. Soon, the inquiry vastly expanded into the president’s sexual affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

Who was the first special prosecutor?

John Henderson, a former Republican senator from Missouri, seemed like the perfect person to serve as the nation’s first special prosecutor. As a senator, he’d broken ranks with Republicans in 1868 and cast the deciding vote in favor of acquitting Grant’s predecessor, Andrew Johnson, a Democrat, during his impeachment trial, according to Andrew Coan’s book, “Prosecuting the President,” published in January. “In this respect, Henderson fits the typical profile of modern special prosecutors, who tend to be prominent elder statesmen with conspicuous reputations for political independence,” Coan wrote.

What happened at Watergate?

Nearly 50 years later, the June 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters at the Water gate hotel kicked off the most sensational presidential scandal in U.S. history, one that nearly killed the special prosecutor’s role but ultimately catalyzed its redemption.

Who is investigating Michael Cohen?

Mueller began investigating Michael Cohen’s phone and digital data months before FBI raid, warrants show. In the almost 150 years since the Whiskey Ring scandal, when presidents found themselves or their cronies under the legal microscope, their administrations have tapped special prosecutors to lead the inquiries.

Who appointed Fiske as the Special Prosecutor?

Attorney General Janet Reno appointed Fiske as the special prosecutor to investigate the Whitewater controversy and the death of White House Counsel Vince Foster in January 1994. At the time of his appointment, Fiske was universally praised by Republicans. Fiske conducted investigations, and released an interim report on June 30 ...

Who replaced Robert Fiske?

Janet Reno formally requested that Robert Fiske be chosen, and allowed to continue his investigation. On August 5, the Special Division, headed by Judge David Sentelle of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, decided to replace Fiske with former Washington D.C. Circuit judge Kenneth Starr .

What happened to Vince Foster?

Fiske's report also concluded that Vince Foster committed suicide. On the same day that Fiske released this report, President Clinton signed the Independent Counsel Reauthorization Act of 1994, effectively abolishing the position of Special Prosecutor and replacing it with the position of Independent Counsel.

What Happened to the Whitewater Development Corporation?

Before becoming governor of Arkansas and president, Bill Clinton was acquainted with Jim McDougal, an Arkansas businessman with whom he made various real estate investments.

What Were The Clintons Accused Of?

At this time of McDougal investing in Castle Grande, future presidential-nominee Hillary Clinton provided legal services for the construction project through Rose Law Firm. Additionally, McDougal held a fundraiser through Madison Guaranty that helped Clinton’s gubernatorial campaign debt in 1984.

Kenneth Starr Investigation Explained

Contributing to the suspicion surrounding the Clintons’ involvement in Whitewater’s failure, a 1992 exposé on the situation by The New York Times sparked a controversy that led to the Justice Department opening an investigation on the deal.

Who were the two lawyers who were interviewed by Hillary Clinton?

White House lawyers Jane Sherburne and Mark Fabiani were interviewed and provided documents that they felt supported Hillary Clinton’s statements. THE LAWYER. For all but two years between 1979 and 1992, Bill Clinton was the governor of Arkansas and Hillary Rodham Clinton was the state’s first lady.

When was the Whitewater story published?

Editor’s note: This story was originally published June 2, 1996. In the four years that Hillary Rodham Clinton has been questioned about her role in the related events known as Whitewater, her public posture has changed very little. She has asserted that she has done nothing wrong and that “at the end of the day, ...

When was Bill Clinton's first fraud trial?

McDougal’s first fraud trial was a news event in Little Rock in 1990. It drew the interest of Bill Clinton, who at one point conferred with McDougal’s lawyer about it. It likely would have attracted some measure of interest from Hillary Clinton, his former lawyer and partner in the Whitewater land deal.

Who was Hillary Clinton's partner?

Ward also was the father-in-law of Webster L. Hubbell, Hillary Clinton’s partner and friend at the Rose Law Firm. The land enterprise was on a 1,050-acre tract where McDougal envisioned developing a microbrewery and a trailer park, among other things. It was commonly known as Castle Grande.

When did McDougal's legal bills get paid off?

Ronald Clark, Rose Law Firm’s chief operating officer, said in an interview that McDougal’s outstanding legal bills – amounting to $5,000 – were paid off in November 1984, several months before Hillary Clinton said she became involved in the matter.

Who was the person who tried to throw savings and loan work to Hillary Clinton?

Another is whether McDougal, who was already carrying the bulk of the financial burden of the Whitewater land deal with the Clintons, tried to throw savings and loan work to Hillary Clinton at a time when his thrift was in danger of collapsing at taxpayer expense.

Who did Madison deal with before Hillary Clinton called Schaffer?

Madison officials had briefed him already, he said, and given him a memo stating that he should deal with Charles Handley, the assistant to Schaffer in charge of such questions.

Who was the special prosecutor for the Whitewater deal?

A special prosecutor, Robert Fiske, was appointed in January 1994 to lead an investigation, ...

What was the Whitewater investigation?

In 1994, Starr was appointed independent counsel in an investigation of Bill and Hillary Clinton's involvement in a failed land deal dating back to Bill Clinton's tenure in Arkansas state government. When Bill Clinton was attorney general of Arkansas and later governor, the Clintons invested in land as part ...

What did Bill Clinton invest in?

When Bill Clinton was attorney general of Arkansas and later governor, the Clintons invested in land as part of a joint venture that became the Whitewater Development Corporation. The corporation folded, and the Clintons lost money on the real estate deal.

What was the Starr Report?

At the heart of it were an array of graphic and embarrassing details about Clinton's sex life and his efforts to lie and hide his affair from the public . In its aftermath, Congress allowed the law authorizing independent counsel appointments to expire.

How long was Epstein in jail?

Epstein accepted a plea deal in 2008 with the state of Florida in which he was convicted of two prostitution charges. He was sentenced to 13 months in a county jail but was allowed to spend much of it in work release at his Palm Beach office.

Who was the special prosecutor for the Clinton investigation?

A special prosecutor, Robert Fiske , was appointed in January 1994 to lead an investigation, and the inquiry expanded to include an investigation of Deputy White House Counsel Vince Foster's suicide. Clinton's critics alleged Foster's death had been part of a Whitewater cover-up, but multiple investigations concluded Foster's death was a suicide.

Who was the witness in the impeachment trial?

The Senate opted not to call live witnesses to the stand, and instead presented videos of taped depositions with Lewinksy and two other witnesses: White House aide Sidney Blumenthal and Clinton adviser Vernon Jordan.