Prosecutor says evidence indicated that Clinton guilty Counsel says no charges brought because president suffered enough

New York Times

WASHINGTON -- In a final report that is supposed to end the long legal melodrama resulting from President Bill Clinton's relationship with Monica Lewinsky, the independent counsel said Wednesday that there was ample evidence to convict Clinton of perjury and obstruction of justice.

But Robert W. Ray, the current head of the office of independent counsel that has investigated numerous allegations surrounding Clinton, said that he invoked his discretion as a prosecutor to decline to bring those charges.

He did so, he said, because he believed Clinton had already paid a sufficient penalty for having lied before a federal judge in 1998 when he denied ever being alone with Lewinsky and engaging in intimate relations with her.

The scandal produced intense debate across the nation about the limits of presidential privacy and led to Clinton's impeachment.

The outlines of Wednesday's report were clear on Jan. 19, 2001, Clinton's next-to-last day in office, when Ray and Clinton agreed to a deal that allowed Clinton to avoid prosecution on criminal charges. Among other concessions, Clinton surrendered his law license for five years and publicly acknowledged after many months of denials that he had given false responses under oath.

The 237-page report was essentially the view of what happened from the perspective of Ray and the many prosecutors who conducted the seven-year investigation.

"President Clinton's offenses had a significant adverse impact on the community, substantially affecting the public's view of the integrity of our legal system," the report concluded.

"The independent counsel's judgment that sufficient evidence existed to prosecute President Clinton was confirmed by President Clinton's admissions," the report stated. President Clinton admitted he `knowingly gave evasive and misleading answers" about his sexual relationship with Lewinsky.

The various investigations that vexed the president and the first lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton, for almost the entire Clinton presidency produced an enormous volume of political vitriol as large portions of the nation lined up behind the president and his supporters in arguing that the effort was a politically motivated effort to chase Clinton from office.

Many argued that Kenneth W. Starr, Ray's predecessor, had gone too far in pursuing details of Clinton's relationship with Lewinsky. At the same time, many Americans were appalled by Clinton's conduct.

David E. Kendall, Clinton's lawyer, said the former president would not comment. Kendall adopted a nothing-new-here tone.

"The $70 million investigation of President Clinton from 1994 to 2001 was intense, expensive, partisan and long. There's still no Whitewater report and there's nothing new in this report. It's time to move on."

The three-judge panel that oversees Ray's office was, in fact, expected to release within a few weeks the report on Whitewater issues, the final act of the office of independent counsel.

-- Anonymous, March 07, 2002

Answers

Well, finally it's in print. clinton is a lying sack of dung.

Not sure if I agree not to prosecute. I'd like to see him in jail, myself. And not one of those club med jails, either. they should also get Hillary as an accomplice, aiding and abetting her a-hole husband in perjury.

-- Anonymous, March 07, 2002

I know someone who ran into Clinton in a NY restaurant last night. Okay, night before last. There were no introductions, no politenesses. She: "I bet you don't give a shit any more, do you?" He: "You got that right." He knows he's going to slide.

There's very strong gossip that he has another young woman in his life. I doubt Hillary cares--unless he gets caught. This could be a set-up: long suffering wife finally has enough, files for divorce when he's caught with another young woman. Sympathy vote carries her into the White House. Divorce is called off and we have Those Two again. IT COULD HAPPEN!!! Who ever would have thought she'd be elected Senator in New York???

-- Anonymous, March 09, 2002

The women in my life are all disgusted with Hillary for putting up with Clinton's behavior. No sympathy vote from them.

-- Anonymous, March 09, 2002

I'd vote for that mafia bitch who tried to run for V.P. before I'd vote for Hillary.

Coem to think of it, I'd vote for that mafia bitch before I'd vote for Gore, too.

Can't remember the mafia bitch's name.

-- Anonymous, March 09, 2002

Geraldine Ferraro?

-- Anonymous, March 10, 2002

that's the bitch!

-- Anonymous, March 10, 2002