The Washington Post on the Whitewater crisis

Key Stories The following are links to major stories from The Washington Post on the Whitewater crisis. For full coverage of the Monica Lewinsky investigation and the impeachment of President Clinton, dating from January 1998, see the Clinton Accused News Archive. Full coverage of Susan McDougal's contempt trial is also available. Overviews | Investigation | Hearings | FBI Files | Travel Office Overviews Starr Defends Probe Against Attacks Nov. 20, 1998While damning Clinton for the Monica Lewinsky matter, Starr finally cleared him in relation to the firing of White House travel office workers in 1993 and the improper collection of FBI files revealed in 1996. He said his office drafted an impeachment referral stemming from Whitewater last year, but decided not to send it because the evidence was insufficient. Whitewater Probe's Insufficient Evidence Nov. 20, 1998Independent counsel Kenneth Starr said that his office had strong reason to believe President Clinton lied under oath in testimony stemming from the Whitewater land deal but decided late last year not to file an impeachment report relying exclusively on the truthfulness of Clinton's former business partner James McDougal. Hillary Clinton and the Whitewater Controversy: A Close-Up June 2, 1996An examination of Hillary Clinton's public statements suggests someone less passive in her behavior, less consistent in her answers, and less committed to full disclosure than the figure in her own self-portrait. An Inquiry Swells From the Banks of Arkansas' White River May 29, 1996The riddle of the Whitewater investigation is that virtually every important event related to it prompts the same seemingly odd question: What does this have to do with Whitewater? Caught in the Whitewater Quagmire Aug. 28, 1995Many of Clinton's close associates from the 1980s have fallen victim to the labyrinthine Whitewater scandal. The probe has rocked Arkansas' political circles and snared businessmen and lawyers who have not even a vague connection to the Whitewater Development Corp. Hillary Clinton Futures Trades Detailed May 27, 1994Computerized records of Hillary Rodham Clinton's commodities trades show how she was able to turn her initial investment into $6,300 overnight. In about 10 months of trading, she made nearly $100,000.

The Investigation Starr Brings Third Indictment Against Hubbell November 14, 1996Independent counsel Kenneth Starr secured a new federal indictment of Webster Hubbell, alleging that the former top Justice Department official lied to Congress and federal banking regulators. Judge Dismisses Hubbell Tax CaseJuly 2, 1998A federal judge dismissed the tax evasion indictment of Webster L. Hubbell, ruling that independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr exceeded his authority in going after Hubbell and that the case was improperly based on documents the former Justice Department official turned over under a grant of immunity. Susan McDougal Indicted for Silence on WhitewaterMay 5, 1998Whitewater figure Susan McDougal, the former Whitewater business partner of the Clintons who has refused to testify before a grand jury about the president’s financial dealings, was indicted on charges of criminal contempt and obstruction. Burton Releases Hubbell TapesMay 5, 1998Rep. Dan Burton told Democratic critics that their charges that he doctored transcripts of prison tapes of former associate attorney general Webster L. Hubbell were "rash" as he began releasing the tapes. Indictment Claims Hubbells Lived Lavishly May 1, 1998A new set of tax evasion and fraud charges have been brought against Webster L. Hubbell, a former top Justice Department official and close friend of the Clintons who has already served time for embezzlement. Analysis: Is Starr's Effort Stifled or Unproductive? May 1, 1998The probe of President Clinton has entangled vastly different people in a range of legal battles. Critics of the president say the cases show that he has tried to silence witnesses. Clinton supporters say the case show how little independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr has to show for his zealous efforts. Starr Questions First Lady on Videotape for Grand Jury April 26, 1998Independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr and his deputies questioned Hillary Rodham Clinton about Whitewater for nearly five hours at the White House. A videotape of her sworn testimony will be shown to the Little Rock grand jury, which is scheduled to disband May 7. McDougal Silent at Grand Jury April 24, 1998Susan McDougal again refused to testify about her business dealings with President Clinton before the Whitewater grand jury in Little Rock, setting the stage for a possible criminal contempt indictment. Hubbell Got $700,000 for Little or No Work, House Probe Shows April 24, 1998Webster L. Hubbell received more than $700,000, most of it from friends of President Clinton and Democratic Party supporters, when he was under pressure from to provide information about Clinton in the Whitewater investigation, congressional investigators have determined. Mother, Son Could Derail Starr Witness April 19, 1998An Arkansas woman who dabbles in astrology says David Hale, one of the chief Whitewater witnesses against President Clinton, received financial support from her former boyfriend and other conservatives who plotted to discredit the president. Hale denies getting money from them. Starr Declines Pepperdine Because of Investigation April 17, 1998Independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr said that with "the end not yet in sight" for his investigation, he has scrubbed his plans of eventually taking a post at Pepperdine University in California. U.S. Urges Starr on Alleged Payments April 10, 1998The Justice Department urged independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr to investigate whether a key Whitewater witness was paid by a conservative activist, but alerted Starr that he might face a conflict of interest. Starr Report to House Underway April 8, 1998Independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr's team has already written large sections of its report on potentially impeachable offenses by President Clinton in the Monica S. Lewinsky matter, sources said. Poll Finds Impatience With Starr Investigation April 5, 1998With the Paula Jones case dismissed, an overwhelming majority of Americans say independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr should move to conclude his investigation of President Clinton, according to a new Washington Post Poll. Starr's Bill So Far: About $30 MillionApril 1, 1998Independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr has spent nearly $30 million investigating President Clinton and the first lady, according to a new report from the General Accounting Office. Chief Whitewater Figure Dies in Prison Hospital March 9, 1998James B. McDougal reversed his initial protection of the Clintons and began helping Whitewater prosecutors in hopes of getting out of prison before he died. But he died Sunday, a few months before being paroled. Starr Is Urged to Curtail Inquiry March 2, 1998A top White House official Sunday urged independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr to end his Whitewater investigation. The Roots of Ken Starr's Morality Plays March 2, 1998Independent Counsel Kenneth W. Starr's strong air of moral rectitude is the legacy of a childhood as a conservative minister's son. Starr Decries 'Misinformation' About Team February 26, 1998Independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr lashed out at "an avalanche of lies" spread about his staff. But prosecutors returned the grand jury to the central focus of the investigation into Monica S. Lewinsky and her ties to President Clinton. Analysis: Some Uneasy With Starr's Tactics February 13, 1998A number of former federal prosecutors have expressed discomfort with weapons that independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr has used to try to make his case against President Clinton. Clinton Accused of Urging Aide to Lie January 21, 1998Independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr has expanded his investigation of President Clinton to examine whether Clinton and his close friend Vernon E. Jordan Jr. encouraged a 24-year-old former White House intern to lie to lawyers for Paula Jones about whether the intern had an affair with the president. Starr Probe Reaffirms Foster Killed Himself October 11, 1997An exhaustive three-year investigation by the office of Whitewater independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr has reaffirmed previous findings that White House deputy counsel Vincent W. Foster Jr. committed suicide. Starr Probes Clinton Personal Life June 25, 1997FBI agents and prosecutors working for independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr's Whitewater investigation have questioned Arkansas state troopers in recent months about their knowledge of any extramarital relationships Bill Clinton may have had while he was Arkansas governor, sources say.

White House Notes Are Given to Starr June 24, 1997The Supreme Court declined to hear a Clinton administration appeal of a lower court ruling forcing White House lawyers to give Whitewater independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr notes they took in discussions with Hillary Rodham Clinton. Whitewater's War of Words Gets Personal May 11, 1997The White House accused the independent prosecutor Kenneth W. Starr of conducting a "fishing expedition" after Starr complained that the refusal by White House lawyers to turn over notes of meetings they had with first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton was an "impediment" to his investigation. McDougal Gets 3-Year Term April 15, 1997James B. McDougal, a former partner with the Clintons in the failed Whitewater Arkansas land venture, was sentenced to three years in prison after the Whitewater independent counsel asked for a reduced sentence because of the assistance McDougal gave prosecutors. Clinton Aides Sought Help for Hubbell April 2, 1997Two of President Clinton's top political advisers, Erskine B. Bowles and Thomas F. "Mack" McLarty, called business friends to line up financial help for Webster L. Hubbell when he was coming under the scrutiny of Whitewater investigators, the White House said. Starr Will Stay With Probe February 22, 1997After four days of bruising public criticism, a humbled Whitewater independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr reversed course and said he will not leave his post for a law school deanship until the investigation is completed. Susan McDougal Gets 2 Years for Fraud Tied to Whitewater August 21, 1996Sobbing that her role in the Whitewater scandal has ruined her life, Susan McDougal was sentenced to two years in prison for her part in a scheme to obtain a fraudulent $300,000 small business loan in 1986. Tucker Sentenced to 4 Years' Probation August 20, 1996Former Arkansas governor Jim Guy Tucker (D), convicted in May on Whitewater-related charges, received a four-year suspended sentence following testimony by a transplant surgeon who said Tucker would likely die of liver disease if he were sent to prison. Clinton Associates Cleared on 4 Counts in Bank Funds Case August 2, 1996A federal jury cleared two Arkansas bankers and longtime supporters of President Clinton of four felony charges involving their bank and Clinton's 1990 statewide campaign. The jurors deadlocked on seven remaining counts. Three Guilty in Arkansas Fraud Trial May 29, 1996A federal jury handed Whitewater independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr a decisive victory by convicting two of President Clinton's former business partners and Gov. Jim Guy Tucker (D) of nearly all the fraud and conspiracy charges Starr lodged against them 10 months ago. Foster's Death a Suicide July 1, 1994Special counsel Robert B. Fiske Jr. concluded that Vincent Foster's death in Fort Marcy Park last July was a suicide. According to Fiske, Foster's death was a personal collapse, not a White House scandal. U.S. Is Asked to Probe Failed Arkansas S&L October 31, 1993The Resolution Trust Corp. has asked federal prosecutors in Little Rock to open a criminal investigation into whether a failed Arkansas savings and loan used depositors' funds during the mid-'80s to benefit local politicians, including a reelection campaign of then-governor Bill Clinton. Congressional Hearings The Hearings End Much as They Began June 19, 1996The Republicans, in their final report, accused the Clinton White House of stonewalling and obfuscating; and the Democrats, in a minority rebuttal, claimed that the president and first lady had been victimized by a modern-day witch hunt. FBI Files GOP Slams White House in FBI Files Report Sept. 25, 1996The House Government Reform and Oversight Committee's Republican majority approved an interim report accusing the Clinton White House of trying to politicize the FBI and demonstrating a "cavalier approach" toward sensitive security matters. Livingstone Resigns, Denying Ill Intent June 27, 1996The Clinton White House's beleaguered director of personnel security, Craig Livingstone, announced his resignation, saying he took responsibility for the unjustified collection of FBI files on hundreds of Republicans. But he denied any malign intent. In Files Case, All Sides Claim Interest in Ferreting Out Motive for Requests June 24, 1996The improper collection by Clinton aides of sensitive FBI files on hundreds of Republicans has left the question of "what for?" uppermost in the minds of investigators, and defenders, of the Clinton White House. Travel Office Firings White House Obtained FBI Data on Fired Travel Chief June 6, 1996White House officials obtained FBI background material on Billy Dale seven months after he was ousted as head of the White House travel office, incorrectly asserting they were considering giving him access to the building. For White House Travel Office, a Two-Year Trip of Trouble February 27, 1995Amid allegations of corruption and bad management, seven employees of the White House travel office were fired on May 19, 1993, touching off one of the Clinton administration's great political embarrassments. © Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company Back to the top