Whitewater Trials and Impeachment of a President: 1994-99

As their trial began on March 4, 1996, Governor Tucker and the Mc-Dougals were charged with scheming to obtain $3 million in illegal loans through David Hale's small-business investment company. Hale himself testified that pressure from then governor Bill Clinton to help the Democratic "political family" in Arkansas had prompted his fraudulent loan of $300,000 to Susan McDougal, and that Clinton had asked him to keep his name out of the deal. On April 28, during four hours of videotaped testimony, Clinton (the sole defense witness other than James McDougal) denied the charge. The Whitewater jury watched the tape on May 9 and heard 33 prosecution witnesses over nine weeks. On the 28th, it found Tucker guilty on one count of conspiracy and one of mail fraud but not guilty on five other counts. James McDougal was found guilty on 18 of 19 counts of fraud and conspiracy; Susan McDougal was found guilty of illegally benefiting from a $300,000 loan.