NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Whitewater (controversy)

The Whitewater Controversy (also called the Whitewater scandal or simply Whitewater) was an American political controversy concerning the real estate dealings of Bill and Hillary Clinton and their associates in the Whitewater Development Agency during the 1970s and 1980s. Real estate is a legal term that encompasses land along with anything permanently affixed to the land, such as buildings. ... William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III[1] on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ... Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (born October 26, 1947), was First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001, as the wife of President Bill Clinton. ...

A New York Times article published during the 1992 U.S. presidential campaign reported that Clinton and his wife had invested in and lost money in the Whitewater development project.[1] A U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigation resulted in criminal charges against the two principals in the Whitewater project, but the Clintons themselves were never charged. Three separate inquiries found that there was insufficent evidence to charge the Clintons with criminal conduct.[2] The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, commonly referred to as the SEC, is the United States governing body which has primary responsibility for overseeing the regulation of the securities industry. ...

Background

During Bill Clinton's first bid for the presidency, reporters from the New York Times asked him about the failure of the Whitewater development. After they published an article in March, 1992 that was critical of the real estate dealings, Vince Foster, White House deputy counsel, who had been a former law partner of Hillary Clinton's at the Rose Law Firm in Arkansas, completed and submitted several years worth of delinquent tax returns for the project. Vince Foster Vincent Walker Foster, Jr. ...

On July 20, 1993, at Fort Marcy Park in Virginia, Vince Foster was found dead from a bullet wound. His death was ruled as a suicide by multiple investigations by the United States Park Police, the United States Congress, and Independent Counsels Robert B. Fiske and Kenneth Starr. After Foster's death, chief White House counsel Bernard Nussbaum removed documents concerning the Whitewater Development Corporation from Foster's office and gave them to Margaret Williams, who placed them in a safe in the White House. [3] At the end of the Civil War in 1865, the system of fortications (now known as Fort Circle Parks) which surrounded the capital city, Washington DC, were dismantled. ... Vince Foster Vincent Walker Foster, Jr. ... The United States Park Police is the oldest uniformed federal law enforcement agency in the United States. ... Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives President of the Senate Dick Cheney, R, since January 20, 2001 Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, R, since January 6, 1999 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political groups (as of January 4, 2005 elections) Democratic Party Republican Party... Robert Bishop Fiske, Jr. ... Kenneth Winston Starr Kenneth Winston Starr (born July 21, 1946) is an American lawyer and former judge who was appointed to the Office of the Independent Counsel to investigate the death of the deputy White House counsel Vince Foster and the Whitewater land transactions by President Bill Clinton. ... Bernard W. Nussbaum was formerly White House Counsel under Bill Clinton and during his tenure was accused of being involved in Filegate Category: ... A corporation under investigation related to Bill Clintons White Water scandal. ... North faÃ§ade of the White House, seen from Pennsylvania Avenue. ...

Because of the allegations made in the New York Times article, the Justice Department opened an investigation into the failed Whitewater deal. At Clinton's request, Attorney General Janet Reno appointed a special prosecutor Robert B. Fiske in 1994 to investigate the legality of the Whitewater transactions. Two allegations surfaced: 1) that Clinton had exerted pressure on an Arkansas businessman to make a loan that would benefit him and the owners of Madison Guaranty; and 2) that an Arkansas bank had concealed transactions involving Clinton's gubernatorial campaign in 1990. Janet Reno (born July 21, 1938) was the 78th Attorney General of the United States (1993â€“2001), and was the first woman to hold that post. ... A special prosecutor is a lawyer from outside the government appointed by the attorney general or Congress to investigate a federal official for misconduct while in office. ... Robert Bishop Fiske, Jr. ... Madison Guaranty is an Arkansas financial trust company. ...

In August 1994, Kenneth Starr was appointed by a three-judge panel to continue the Whitewater investigation, replacing Robert B. Fiske, who had been specially appointed by the Attorney General prior to the re-enactment of the Independent Counsel law. Fiske was replaced due to an apparent conflict of interest, having been chosen and appointed by Janet Reno, Clinton's Attorney General. In February 1997, Starr announced he would leave the investigation to pursue a position at Pepperdine University's law school. However, he "flip flopped" in the face of "intense criticism."[4] 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... Kenneth Winston Starr Kenneth Winston Starr (born July 21, 1946) is an American lawyer and former judge who was appointed to the Office of the Independent Counsel to investigate the death of the deputy White House counsel Vince Foster and the Whitewater land transactions by President Bill Clinton. ... Robert Bishop Fiske, Jr. ... Janet Reno (born July 21, 1938) was the 78th Attorney General of the United States (1993â€“2001), and was the first woman to hold that post. ... Pepperdine University is a private institution of higher learning affiliated with the Church of Christ. ... A flip-flop (used mostly in the United States) or a U-turn (used in the United Kingdom) is a sudden real or apparent change of policy or opinion. ...

The Clintons were purportedly cleared of all wrongdoing in two reports prepared by the San Francisco law firm of Pillsbury Madison and Sutro for the Resolution Trust Corporation, which was overseeing the liquidation of Madison Guaranty. Nickname: The City by the Bay; Fog City Location of the City and County of San Francisco, California Coordinates: Country United States of America State California City-County San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom Area - City 122 kmÂ² (47 sq mi) - Land 121. ... The Resolution Trust Corporation was a US government owned asset management company mandated to sell assets (primarily real estate) that had been held as collateral against most of the bad loans of savings and loan associations. ...

On January 26, 1996, Hillary Clinton testified before a grand jury concerning her investments in Whitewater. She noted they "never borrowed any money from the bank, nor had they caused anyone to borrow money on their behalf." Over the course of the investigation, fifteen individuals — including Clinton friends Jim McDougal and Susan McDougal, White House counsel Webster Hubbell and Arkansas Governor Jim Guy Tucker — were convicted of federal charges unrelated to Whitewater. Clinton pardoned four of them in the final hours of his presidency (see list of people pardoned by Bill Clinton). A grand jury is a type of jury, in the common law legal system, which determines if there is enough evidence for a trial. ... Jim McDougal (August 25, 1940â€“March 8, 1998) was the husband of Susan McDougal. ... Susan McDougal is one of the few people who served prison time as a result of the Whitewater controversy in the United States, though fifteen individuals were convicted of federal charges. ... Webster Lee Hubbell (born 1949), known as Webster L. Hubbell, was an Arkansas lawyer and politician. ... James Jim Guy Tucker, Jr. ... The following is a partial list of people pardoned by Bill Clinton. ...

Ray Report

Kenneth Starr's successor, Robert Ray, released a report in September of 2000 that stated "This office determined that the evidence was insufficient to prove to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt that either President or Mrs. Clinton knowingly participated in any criminal conduct."[5] Ray's report effectively ended the Whitewater investigation, with a total cost to American taxpayers of nearly $80 million dollars.[6] Kenneth Winston Starr Kenneth Winston Starr (born July 21, 1946) is an American lawyer and former judge who was appointed to the Office of the Independent Counsel to investigate the death of the deputy White House counsel Vince Foster and the Whitewater land transactions by President Bill Clinton. ... Robert W. Ray is an American lawyer who from 1999 to 2002 served as the last head of the Office of the Independent Counsel, investigating and issuing the final reports on the Whitewater scandal, the White House travel office controversy, and the White House personnel file controversy. ...

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Ray Report

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Ray Report

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