The Clinton Presidency:

The Clinton Presidency: Political Concerns Senate Whitewater Investigations Gun Control Campaign Finance Reform Impeachment & Acquittal

Senate Whitewater Investigations: The Whitewater Controversy An American politics controversy that began with the real estate investments of Bill & Hillary Clinton, & their associates, in the Whitewater Development Corporation, a failed business venture in the 1970s & 1980s.

Senate Whitewater Investigations: The Whitewater Controversy A New York Times article published during the 1992 U.S. presidential campaign reported that Clinton and his wife had invested and lost money in the Whitewater development project.

Senate Whitewater Investigations: The Whitewater Controversy (cont.) A U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission investigation did result in convictions and a jail sentence against the Clinton’s business partners (McDougals) for their role in the Whitewater project.

Bill Clinton's successor as Arkansas Governor, Jim Guy Tucker, was also convicted and served time in prison for his role in the fraud. The Clintons themselves were never prosecuted , as three separate inquiries found insufficient evidence linking them with the criminal conduct of others related to the land deal.

Gun Control On 11/3/1993 Clinton signed the Brady Bill, which imposed a five-day waiting period on handgun purchases. The Act was named after James Brady, who was shot by John Hinckley Jr. during an attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981.

Chaos outside the Washington Hilton Hotel after the assassination attempt on President Reagan. James Brady & Thomas Delahanty lie wounded on the ground.

Gun Control (cont.) The Federal Assault Weapons Ban (AWB) was a subtitle of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, a federal law  which included a prohibition on the sale to civilians of certain semi-automatic firearms. Prior to the law's enactment, there was no legal definition of "assault weapons" in the U.S. The ten-year ban was passed and signed by Clinton on 9/13/1994. The ban only applied to weapons manufactured after the date of the ban's enactment. The AWB expired 9/13/2004, as part of the law's sunset provision.

Campaign Finance Reform soft money: The money that goes to "party building activities," such as "get-out-the-vote" efforts & generic advertising. Federal election law (1979 amendment) allows political parties to spend as much as they want. Democrats support limits in soft money & spending because of the GOP's traditional ability to raise funds from the wealthy. Republicans argue against limits – particularly if unions remain unfettered in their spending of dues. Some Republican leaders support raising the current limits for individual contributions, which they say would reduce the time and energy spent on fund-raising.

Campaign Finance Reform Starting in late 1995, the Democratic National Committee used soft money to pay for a months-long blitz of television commercials, basically indistinguishable from campaign ads, that bolstered Clinton in the polls. With the contribution and spending caps now irrelevant, the vast appetite for money in the 1996 campaign led to excesses. The DNC has acknowledged that many 1996 soft-money contributions were illegal or inappropriate

Campaign Finance Reform Cont. The Clinton administration engaged in unethical fund-raising tactics. Donors were invited to spend the night in the White House's Lincoln Bedroom, or to meet with the president, without adequate security checks. Some tried to pursue personal financial opportunities. Vice President Al Gore made calls from his White House office, seeking large contributions to the Democratic National Committee. Federal law generally bans government employees from raising campaign cash from federal property.

Campaign Finance Reform: Legislation In Early August of 1998,the House passed a proposal: Bar state as well as national parties from raising or spending soft money. Instead, all contributions would be subject to limits that now apply to hard money. Prevent soft money from being rechanneled into independent expenditures by drawing a line between issue advocacy and outright advocacy of a particular candidate, including a ban on using a candidate's name or likeness within 60 days of an election. Require expanded and speedier disclosure of contributions and expenditures, including electronic filing, and impose stronger penalties for violations. Ultimately, supporters of campaign finance reform face a paradox: Expecting people who live and die by money to actually regulate it. Nothing could be more political. 

Impeachment: Cause Clinton initially denied the affair with White House intern , Monica Lewinsky while testifying in the Paula Jones sexual harassment lawsuit. Clinton then appeared on national television on 1/26/1999 "Listen to me, I'm going to say this again. I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.“

Impeachment: Cause (cont.) When new evidence was discovered, Clinton changed tactics and admitted that an improper relationship with Lewinsky had taken place. , he apologized to the nation, agreed to pay a $25,000 court fine, settled his sexual harassment lawsuit with Paula Jones for $850,000 and was disbarred for five years. He was not tried for perjury in a court. He did admit to "testifying falsely" as part of a deal to avoid indictment for perjury.

Acquittal In a lame duck session after the 1998 elections, the Republican-controlled House voted to impeach Clinton. The next year, the Senate voted to acquit Clinton, and he remained in office.