Whitewater investigators found the Clintons guilty of fraud
| Whitewater investigators found the Clintons guilty of fraud | |
|---|---|
| FALSE | |
| "Federal investigators concluded that Bill and Hillary Clinton committed fraud in the Whitewater real estate affair." | |
| Domain | Government, Law & Courts |
| Tactic | Fabrication |
| Era | Historical |
| First seen | 1990s |
| Origin | Partisan commentary during and after the independent counsel investigation |
| Last reviewed | 2026-10-29 |
| Further reading: books on Government, Law & Courts | |
Whitewater was a failed Arkansas land venture in which Bill and Hillary Clinton were partners with James and Susan McDougal in the late 1970s and 1980s. Questions about the venture and McDougal's savings and loan led to a federal investigation that grew into Kenneth Starr's independent counsel inquiry.
Several people were convicted, including the McDougals and Arkansas Governor Jim Guy Tucker. The Clintons were not. The independent counsel's final report concluded that the evidence was insufficient to prosecute either of them.
What the evidence shows
- Final reports. Independent Counsel Robert Ray, Starr's successor, announced in September 2000 that there was insufficient evidence that either Clinton had knowingly participated in criminal conduct. The final report was released in March 2002.
- Others convicted. In 1996 a jury convicted James and Susan McDougal and Governor Tucker on fraud-related charges. Webster Hubbell, Hillary Clinton's former law partner, pleaded guilty to unrelated billing fraud.
- Not an exoneration either. Ray's report said the evidence was "insufficient," not that the Clintons had been cleared of every question. It criticized some of Hillary Clinton's statements as factually inaccurate but did not find a provable crime.
Why it matters
The difference between "not enough evidence to prosecute" and "guilty" is the core of due process. A multiyear inquiry with broad powers did not produce charges against the Clintons, and that outcome is part of the record.
Sources
- Office of the Independent Counsel, Final Report of the Independent Counsel In Re: Madison Guaranty Savings & Loan Association, March 2002.
- The New York Times, "Independent Counsel Ends Whitewater Inquiry," September 21, 2000.
- The Washington Post, "Whitewater" archive and timeline.