Clinton's final days controversial
By MEG DADAY
News Writer
At 54 years old, Bill Clinton is the youngest president since World War II to exit office after serving two full terms. Until the final hours, his presidency was tainted with scandal, yet through it all he maintained high public approval ratings.
On his last day in office, Clinton struck a deal with independent counsel Robert Ray which protects him from indictment. Under the terms of the settlement, Clinton acknowledged that he gave false testimony under oath and agreed to give up his Arkansas law license for five years. The settlement extinguished any possibility that charges related to the Whitewater investigation or the Paula Jones case could be brought against him.
Negotiations regarding the agreement between independent counsel and Clinton advisors had been going on for months and both Democrats and Republicans were relieved that the issue was resolved before President Bush assumed office.
Government professor Susan Ohmer said that it was "far better for Clinton to make his own deal in advance rather than leave his fate in Bush's hands."
Daniel Lipinski, also a government professor added, "George W. Bush needs as much cooperation from Democrats as possible. He wants to put the Clinton scandals behind him."
As part of the agreement, Clinton admitted that some of the responses he gave in a deposition in January 1998 for the Paula Jones case regarding the intern Monica Lewinsky were false.
"I'm sure (Clinton) didn't want to tarnish his last few days in office," said Lipinski. "He was able to spin it. Some people say he admitted it and some say he didn't.... Everyone has an opinion about Clinton and everything that happened within the last few days went along with what they already thought about him."
In addition to receiving immunity, Clinton granted pardons to more than 150 people during his last few days in office. Some of the more prominent figures pardoned include: Susan McDougal, who was jailed as a result of the Whitewater scandal; former secretary of Housing and Urban Development Henry Cisneros; heiress Patty Hearst Shaw who robbed a bank in 1974 after being kidnapped by political radicals; his half-brother Roger, who admitted to dealing cocaine in Arkansas; and former director of central intelligence John Deutch.
Arguably, one of the most controversial pardons by Clinton was that of Marc Rich, who has resided in Switzerland for the last 17 years evading charges of trading with Iran in violation of sanctions and tax fraud.
Law enforcement officials have expressed their opposition to the pardon because it did not go through the proper Justice Department channels, but instead was sent directly to President Clinton. Rich's lawyer, former White House counsel Jack Quinn, has been criticized for using his connections to secure a pardon. Rich's former wife, Denise, has also been cited as a friend of the Clinton family and Democratic party fund-raiser.
Lipinski believes, however, that even this controversy will not alter the public's perception of Clinton. He said, "There are a good number of people who are disgusted with the whole Clinton administration and this fits right in line with that. There are also people on the opposite side who will ignore this stuff as part of a partisan smear campaign by Republicans."
Despite Clinton's relatively high level of popularity, he can never run for office again and he will be forced to redirect the spotlight to his wife, New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. Still, there has been much speculation on what he will do to try to retain political influence.
With the election for the head of the Democratic National Committee approaching in the coming weeks, Lipinski feels that the person who is closest to Clinton will win and because of this person he will still have power within the party.
"The thinking is that he will remain powerful within the party because nobody else has stepped in to fill the void that Gore left," said Ohmer. "He will probably be a very powerful force; he's going to stay in Washington and has the opportunity to build a strong base of support."
Lipinski also believes that Clinton will be "out campaigning and raising money for the Democrats because it will keep him in the spotlight, in a position where people look up to him, adore him."
Many have pointed out that maintaining his public image is important to Clinton, Lipinski adds. He has spent almost his entire life running for public office, including the time in which he was in an elected position. Ohmer feels he will use this experience to advise other Democratic candidates on strategies and fundraising techniques and to help others make political connections. "Clinton can be a very powerful force in terms of making things happen within the Democratic party," Ohmer said.
Thus, having reached the pinnacle of success and power, Clinton's biggest challenge now will be deciding what to do in his role as the spouse of a politician.
All News Stories for Tuesday, February 13, 2001
