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Was Bill Clinton convicted of anything?

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BIG Sean Donating Member (259 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Dec-19-05 10:30 AM
Original message
Was Bill Clinton convicted of anything?
Hi all,

Sorry, I know this happened years ago, and there are more pressing issues. However, I am in a verbal battle with a Right winger...and I can use some help.

He is stating that President Clinton was CONVICTED of lying. Is that true?

I thought he was impeached, but not convicted.

Thanks,

BIG Sean
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tecelote Donating Member (645 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Dec-19-05 10:31 AM
Response to Original message
1. He lied but nobody died.
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Montauk6 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Dec-19-05 10:32 AM
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2. Methinks your friend's confusing him with Ollie North
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dennis4868 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Dec-19-05 10:32 AM
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3. Was not convicted of anything.....
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Spazito Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Dec-19-05 10:33 AM
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4. You are correct, here it is straight from the White House site
"In 1998, as a result of issues surrounding personal indiscretions with a young woman White House intern, Clinton was the second U.S. president to be impeached by the House of Representatives. He was tried in the Senate and found not guilty of the charges brought against him. He apologized to the nation for his actions and continued to have unprecedented popular approval ratings for his job as president."

http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/bc42.html



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tecelote Donating Member (645 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Dec-19-05 10:38 AM
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5. I guess it depends on was you call "having sex".
I could be wrong, and I would vote for him again in a second, but I think he lied but was not convicted for it.

- as I was writing this Spazito answered the question.

However, convicted or not, I think he did lie.

Damn shame we have to have humans be President. They are so full of flaws.

Clinton, despite the flaws, was the best President in recent history.

That is for the people. Big business is happier now.
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Lasher Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Dec-19-05 11:23 AM
Response to Original message
6. Clinton was not convicted of any crime
Edited on Mon Dec-19-05 11:24 AM by Lasher
The infamous "Starr Report" outlining the findings of the Independent Counsel's investigation was delivered to the House of Representatives on Sept. 9, 1998, and subsequently made available to the public. Many felt the report, filled with lurid details of Clinton's sexual encounters with Lewinsky, to be a political attack against the President rather than a legal justification for his impeachment. Of the 11 possible grounds for impeachment cited by Starr, four were eventually approved by the House Judiciary Committee: grand jury perjury, civil suit perjury, obstruction of justice, and abuse of power.

On December 19, following much debate over the constitutionality of the proceedings and whether or not Clinton could be punished by censure rather than impeachment, the House of Representatives held its historic vote. Clinton was impeached on two counts, grand jury perjury (228–206) and obstruction of justice (221–212), with the votes split along party lines. The Senate Republicans, however, were unable to gather enough support to achieve the two-thirds majority required for his conviction. On Feb. 12, 1999, the Senate acquitted President Clinton on both counts. The perjury charge failed by a vote of 55–45, with 10 Republicans voting against impeachment along with all 45 Democrats. The obstruction of justice vote was 50–50, with 5 Republicans breaking ranks to vote against impeachment.

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/impeach.html


The day before leaving office, Clinton agreed to a five year suspension of his Arkansas law license as part of an agreement with the independent counsel to end the investigation. Based on this suspension, Clinton was also automatically suspended from the United States Supreme Court bar, from which he chose to resign. Clinton's resignation was mostly symbolic and will have little practical effect. He has never practiced before the Supreme Court and was not expected to in the future. Clinton also was assessed a $90,000 fine by federal judge Susan Webber Wright for contempt of court. The Paula Jones lawsuit was settled out of court for $850,000.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Clinton


Clinton agreed to this suspension on the condition that Whitewater prosecutors wouldn't pursue criminal charges for "evasive and misleading answers" Clinton gave under oath about his relations with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

In April 1999 Judge Susan Webber Wright found Clinton in civil contempt of court for misleading testimony in the Jones case but did not press for any criminal charge. Rather than undergo a review by the Arkansas Supreme Court, Clinton voluntarily surrendered his Arkansas law license.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitewater_scandal


I supplied this last tidbit because you might have otherwise wondered if there was a criminal conviction associated with the $90,000 fine. There was not.

The five year suspension will end next month.

You might want to point out to your repuke friend that his hero Dumbya, in contrast with Clinton, does have a criminal record. He was convicted of stealing a Christman wreath off someone's porch while in college (look no further for someone who's really tried to steal Christmas), and of course there was at least one drunk driving conviction.



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