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Bill Clinton: Difference between revisions

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The Senate later acquitted Clinton of both charges.<ref name=senvoteai>{{cite web | author=Senate LIS | title=U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 106th Congress—1st Session: vote number 17—Guilty or Not Guilty (Art I, Articles of Impeachment v. President W. J. Clinton) | publisher=United States Senate | date=February 12, 1999 | url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=106&session=1&vote=00017 |access-date =February 22, 2020}}</ref> The Senate refused to meet to hold an impeachment trial before the end of the old term, so the trial was held over until the next Congress. Clinton was represented by Washington law firm [[Williams & Connolly]].<ref>{{cite news | title=Clinton impeached | work=BBC News | date=December 19, 1998 | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/events/clinton_under_fire/latest_news/238784.stm | access-date=October 29, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211142909/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/events/clinton_under_fire/latest_news/238784.stm | archive-date=December 11, 2008 | url-status=live}}</ref> The Senate finished a twenty-one-day trial on February 12, 1999, with the vote of 55 not guilty/45 guilty on the perjury charge<ref name=senvoteai /> and 50 not guilty/50 guilty on the obstruction of justice charge.<ref name="washingtonpostimpeachment">{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/clinton-impeachment/senate-acquits-president-clinton/ | title=The Senate Acquits President Clinton | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=February 13, 1999 | access-date=February 22, 2020}}</ref> Both votes fell short of the constitutional two-thirds majority requirement to convict and remove an officeholder. The final vote was generally along party lines, with no Democrats voting guilty, and only a handful of Republicans voting not guilty.<ref name=senvoteai />
The Senate later acquitted Clinton of both charges.<ref name=senvoteai>{{cite web | author=Senate LIS | title=U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 106th Congress—1st Session: vote number 17—Guilty or Not Guilty (Art I, Articles of Impeachment v. President W. J. Clinton) | publisher=United States Senate | date=February 12, 1999 | url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=106&session=1&vote=00017 |access-date =February 22, 2020}}</ref> The Senate refused to meet to hold an impeachment trial before the end of the old term, so the trial was held over until the next Congress. Clinton was represented by Washington law firm [[Williams & Connolly]].<ref>{{cite news | title=Clinton impeached | work=BBC News | date=December 19, 1998 | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/events/clinton_under_fire/latest_news/238784.stm | access-date=October 29, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211142909/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/events/clinton_under_fire/latest_news/238784.stm | archive-date=December 11, 2008 | url-status=live}}</ref> The Senate finished a twenty-one-day trial on February 12, 1999, with the vote of 55 not guilty/45 guilty on the perjury charge<ref name=senvoteai /> and 50 not guilty/50 guilty on the obstruction of justice charge.<ref name="washingtonpostimpeachment">{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/clinton-impeachment/senate-acquits-president-clinton/ | title=The Senate Acquits President Clinton | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=February 13, 1999 | access-date=February 22, 2020}}</ref> Both votes fell short of the constitutional two-thirds majority requirement to convict and remove an officeholder. The final vote was generally along party lines, with no Democrats voting guilty, and only a handful of Republicans voting not guilty.<ref name=senvoteai />


On January 19, 2001, Clinton's law license was suspended for five years after he acknowledged to an Arkansas circuit court he had engaged in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice in the ''Jones'' case.<ref name="arkcomm">{{cite court |litigants=Neal v. Clinton |opinion=Civ. No. 2000-5677 |pinpoint=Agreed Order of Discipline |court=Ark. Cir. Ct. |year=2001  |quote=Mr. Clinton admits and acknowledges&nbsp;... that his discovery responses interfered with the conduct of the ''Jones'' case by causing the court and counsel for the parties to expend unnecessary time, effort, and resources |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826214725/https://www.arcourts.gov/sites/default/files/opc_opinions_59 |url=https://www.arcourts.gov/sites/default/files/opc_opinions_59 }}</ref><ref name="wsj01plea">{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB980120797221261327|title=Bill cops a plea|author=<!--No by-line.-->|date=January 22, 2001|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|url-access=subscription}}</ref>
On January 19, 2001, Clinton's law license was suspended for five years after he acknowledged to an Arkansas circuit court he had engaged in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice in the ''Jones'' case.<ref name="arkcomm">{{cite court |litigants=Neal v. Clinton |opinion=Civ. No. 2000-5677 |pinpoint=Agreed Order of Discipline |court=Ark. Cir. Ct. |year=2001  |quote=Mr. Clinton admits and acknowledges&nbsp;... that his discovery responses interfered with the conduct of the ''Jones'' case by causing the court and counsel for the parties to expend unnecessary time, effort, and resources |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826214725/https://www.arcourts.gov/sites/default/files/opc_opinions_59 |url=https://www.arcourts.gov/sites/default/files/opc_opinions_59 }}</ref><ref name="wsj01plea">{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB980120797221261327|title=Bill cops a plea|author=<!--No by-line.-->|date=January 22, 2001|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|url-access=subscription}}</ref>


====Pardons and commutations ====
====Pardons and commutations ====
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===Wealth===
===Wealth===


The Clintons incurred several million dollars in legal bills during his presidency, which were paid off four years after he left office.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/clintons-pay-off-legal-bills | title=Clintons Pay Off Legal Bills | website=[[CBS News]] | date=June 14, 2005 | access-date=March 28, 2015}}</ref> Bill and Hillary Clinton have each earned millions of dollars from book publishing.<ref name="NYT-2008-04-05">{{cite news | last=McIntire | first=Mike | title=Clintons made $109 Million in Last 8 Years | date=April 5, 2008 | work=The New York Times | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/05/us/politics/05clintons.html}}</ref> In 2016, ''[[Forbes]]'' reported Bill and Hillary Clinton made about $240{{nbsp}}million in the 15{{nbsp}}years from January 2001, to December 2015, (mostly from paid speeches, business consulting and book-writing).<ref>{{cite news | last=Alexander | first=Dan | title=How Bill And Hillary Clinton Made $240 Million In The Last 15 Years | work=Forbes | date=November 8, 2016 | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2016/11/08/how-bill-house-hillary-clinton-made-240-million-how-much-earnings-rich-white/ | access-date=July 30, 2019}}</ref> Also in 2016, CNN reported the Clintons combined to receive more than $153{{nbsp}}million in paid speeches from 2001 until spring 2015.<ref name="CNN-2006-02-06">{{cite web | url=http://edition.cnn.com/2016/02/05/politics/hillary-clinton-bill-clinton-paid-speeches/index.html | title=$153 million in Bill and Hillary Clinton speaking fees, documented |first=Robert | last=Yoon |work=CNN| date=February 6, 2016 | access-date= February 7, 2016}}</ref> In May 2015, ''[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]'' reported that Bill and Hillary Clinton have made more than $25{{nbsp}}million in speaking fees since the start of 2014, and that Hillary Clinton also made $5{{nbsp}}million or more from her book, ''[[Hard Choices]]'', during the same time period.<ref>Ben Kamisar, [https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/dem-primaries/242291-clintons-made-more-than-25-million-in-speaking-fees-since/ Clintons earned more than $25 million for speeches since 2014] (May 15, 2015), ''[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]''</ref> In July 2014, ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' reported that at the end of 2012, the Clintons were worth between $5{{nbsp}}million and $25.5{{nbsp}}million, and that in 2012 (the last year they were required to disclose the information) the Clintons made between $16 and $17{{nbsp}}million, mostly from speaking fees earned by the former president.<ref>{{cite news | last1=Mullins | first1=Brody | last2=Nicholas | first2=Peter | last3=Ballhaus | first3=Rebecca | title=The Bill and Hillary Clinton Money Machine Taps Corporate Cash | work=The Wall Street Journal | date=July 1, 2014 | url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-bill-and-hillary-clinton-money-machine-taps-corporate-cash-1404268205 | access-date=July 30, 2019 | url-access=subscription}}</ref> Clinton earned more than $104{{nbsp}}million from paid speeches between 2001 and 2012.<ref name="bloomberg.com">{{cite news|last1=Epstein|first1=Jennifer | title=Clinton Family Speeches Netted as Much as $26 Million for Foundation |newspaper=Bloomberg.com |date=May 22, 2015 | url=https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-05-22/clinton-foundation-discloses-speech-fees | publisher=Bloomberg News | access-date=May 23, 2015}}</ref> In June 2014, ABC News and ''The Washington Post'' reported that Bill Clinton has made more than $100{{nbsp}}million giving paid speeches since leaving public office, and in 2008, ''The New York Times'' reported that the Clintons' income tax returns<ref>(linked in the NYT article)</ref> show they made $109{{nbsp}}million in the eight years from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2007, including almost $92{{nbsp}}million from his speaking and book-writing.<ref name="NYT-2008-04-05" /><ref name="washingtonpost-2014-06-26">{{cite news | first1=Philip | last1=Rucker | first2=Tom | last2=Hamburger | first3=Alexander | last3=Becker | title=How the Clintons went from 'dead broke' to rich, with $104.9 million for ex-president's speaking fees | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] | date=June 26, 2014 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-the-clintons-went-from-dead-broke-to-rich-bill-earned-1049-million-for-speeches/2014/06/26/8fa0b372-fd3a-11e3-8176-f2c941cf35f1_story.html | access-date=July 30, 2019}}</ref><ref name="ABC-News-2014-06-09">{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/hillary-clinton-defends-high-dollar-speaking-fees/story?id=24052962|title=Hillary Clinton Defends High-Dollar Speaking Fees|date=June 9, 2014|publisher=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] and [[Good Morning America]]|access-date=October 5, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Salameh|last=Nematt|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2008/11/17/bills-500000-kuwait-lecture.html|title=Bill's $500,000 Kuwait Lecture|date=November 17, 2008|website=[[The Daily Beast]]}}</ref>
The Clintons incurred several million dollars in legal bills during his presidency, which were paid off four years after he left office.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/clintons-pay-off-legal-bills | title=Clintons Pay Off Legal Bills | website=[[CBS News]] | date=June 14, 2005 | access-date=March 28, 2015}}</ref> Bill and Hillary Clinton have each earned millions of dollars from book publishing.<ref name="NYT-2008-04-05">{{cite news | last=McIntire | first=Mike | title=Clintons made $109 Million in Last 8 Years | date=April 5, 2008 | work=The New York Times | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/05/us/politics/05clintons.html}}</ref> In 2016, ''[[Forbes]]'' reported Bill and Hillary Clinton made about $240{{nbsp}}million in the 15{{nbsp}}years from January 2001, to December 2015, (mostly from paid speeches, business consulting and book-writing).<ref>{{cite news | last=Alexander | first=Dan | title=How Bill And Hillary Clinton Made $240 Million In The Last 15 Years | work=Forbes | date=November 8, 2016 | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2016/11/08/how-bill-house-hillary-clinton-made-240-million-how-much-earnings-rich-white/ | access-date=July 30, 2019}}</ref> Also in 2016, CNN reported the Clintons combined to receive more than $153{{nbsp}}million in paid speeches from 2001 until spring 2015.<ref name="CNN-2006-02-06">{{cite web | url=http://edition.cnn.com/2016/02/05/politics/hillary-clinton-bill-clinton-paid-speeches/index.html | title=$153 million in Bill and Hillary Clinton speaking fees, documented |first=Robert | last=Yoon |work=CNN| date=February 6, 2016 | access-date= February 7, 2016}}</ref> In May 2015, ''[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]'' reported that Bill and Hillary Clinton have made more than $25{{nbsp}}million in speaking fees since the start of 2014, and that Hillary Clinton also made $5{{nbsp}}million or more from her book, ''[[Hard Choices]]'', during the same time period.<ref>Ben Kamisar, [https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/dem-primaries/242291-clintons-made-more-than-25-million-in-speaking-fees-since/ Clintons earned more than $25 million for speeches since 2014] (May 15, 2015), ''[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]''</ref> In July 2014, ''The Wall Street Journal'' reported that at the end of 2012, the Clintons were worth between $5{{nbsp}}million and $25.5{{nbsp}}million, and that in 2012 (the last year they were required to disclose the information) the Clintons made between $16 and $17{{nbsp}}million, mostly from speaking fees earned by the former president.<ref>{{cite news | last1=Mullins | first1=Brody | last2=Nicholas | first2=Peter | last3=Ballhaus | first3=Rebecca | title=The Bill and Hillary Clinton Money Machine Taps Corporate Cash | work=The Wall Street Journal | date=July 1, 2014 | url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-bill-and-hillary-clinton-money-machine-taps-corporate-cash-1404268205 | access-date=July 30, 2019 | url-access=subscription}}</ref> Clinton earned more than $104{{nbsp}}million from paid speeches between 2001 and 2012.<ref name="bloomberg.com">{{cite news|last1=Epstein|first1=Jennifer | title=Clinton Family Speeches Netted as Much as $26 Million for Foundation |newspaper=Bloomberg.com |date=May 22, 2015 | url=https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-05-22/clinton-foundation-discloses-speech-fees | publisher=Bloomberg News | access-date=May 23, 2015}}</ref> In June 2014, ABC News and ''The Washington Post'' reported that Bill Clinton has made more than $100{{nbsp}}million giving paid speeches since leaving public office, and in 2008, ''The New York Times'' reported that the Clintons' income tax returns<ref>(linked in the NYT article)</ref> show they made $109{{nbsp}}million in the eight years from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2007, including almost $92{{nbsp}}million from his speaking and book-writing.<ref name="NYT-2008-04-05" /><ref name="washingtonpost-2014-06-26">{{cite news | first1=Philip | last1=Rucker | first2=Tom | last2=Hamburger | first3=Alexander | last3=Becker | title=How the Clintons went from 'dead broke' to rich, with $104.9 million for ex-president's speaking fees | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] | date=June 26, 2014 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-the-clintons-went-from-dead-broke-to-rich-bill-earned-1049-million-for-speeches/2014/06/26/8fa0b372-fd3a-11e3-8176-f2c941cf35f1_story.html | access-date=July 30, 2019}}</ref><ref name="ABC-News-2014-06-09">{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/hillary-clinton-defends-high-dollar-speaking-fees/story?id=24052962|title=Hillary Clinton Defends High-Dollar Speaking Fees|date=June 9, 2014|publisher=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] and [[Good Morning America]]|access-date=October 5, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Salameh|last=Nematt|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2008/11/17/bills-500000-kuwait-lecture.html|title=Bill's $500,000 Kuwait Lecture|date=November 17, 2008|website=[[The Daily Beast]]}}</ref>


Bill Clinton has given dozens of paid speeches each year since leaving office in 2001, mostly to corporations and philanthropic groups in North America and Europe; he often earned $100,000 to $300,000 per speech.<ref name="CNN-2006-02-06" /><ref>{{cite news|first=Josh|last=Gerstein|title=Clinton Eligible, Once Again, To Practice Law|newspaper=[[The New York Sun]]|date=January 17, 2006|url=http://www.nysun.com/article/25965?page_no=2}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/10/us/politics/10clinton.html | title=Bill Clinton Ponders a Role as First Gentleman | work=The New York Times | first=Patrick | last=Healy | date=May 10, 2007 | access-date=May 22, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Daniel |last=Bentley |url=http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2300374.ece |title=Forty Million Dollar Bill, Independent, 2007 |work=[[The Independent]] |date=February 24, 2007 |access-date=May 22, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015064614/http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2300374.ece |archive-date=October 15, 2007 }}</ref> Russian investment bank with ties to the Kremlin paid Clinton $500,000 for a speech in [[Moscow]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/24/us/cash-flowed-to-clinton-foundation-as-russians-pressed-for-control-of-uranium-company.html|title=Cash Flowed to Clinton Foundation Amid Russian Uranium Deal|first1=Jo|last1=Becker|first2=Mike|last2=McIntire|newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 23, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/clinton-foundation-received-millions-uranium-132500796.html|first1=Colin|last1=Campbell|first2=Pamela|last2=Engel|title=The Clinton Foundation received millions from investors as Putin took over 20% of US uranium deposits|date=April 23, 2015|website=[[Yahoo! Finance]]}}</ref> Hillary Clinton said she and Bill came out of the White House financially "broke" and in debt, especially due to large legal fees incurred during their years in the White House. "We had no money when we got there, and we struggled to, you know, piece together the resources for mortgages, for houses, for Chelsea's education". She added, "Bill has worked really hard&nbsp;... we had to pay off all our debts&nbsp;... he had to make double the money because of, obviously, taxes; and then pay off the debts, and get us houses, and take care of family members".<ref name="ABC-News-2014-06-09" />
Bill Clinton has given dozens of paid speeches each year since leaving office in 2001, mostly to corporations and philanthropic groups in North America and Europe; he often earned $100,000 to $300,000 per speech.<ref name="CNN-2006-02-06" /><ref>{{cite news|first=Josh|last=Gerstein|title=Clinton Eligible, Once Again, To Practice Law|newspaper=[[The New York Sun]]|date=January 17, 2006|url=http://www.nysun.com/article/25965?page_no=2}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/10/us/politics/10clinton.html | title=Bill Clinton Ponders a Role as First Gentleman | work=The New York Times | first=Patrick | last=Healy | date=May 10, 2007 | access-date=May 22, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Daniel |last=Bentley |url=http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2300374.ece |title=Forty Million Dollar Bill, Independent, 2007 |work=[[The Independent]] |date=February 24, 2007 |access-date=May 22, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015064614/http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2300374.ece |archive-date=October 15, 2007 }}</ref> Russian investment bank with ties to the Kremlin paid Clinton $500,000 for a speech in [[Moscow]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/24/us/cash-flowed-to-clinton-foundation-as-russians-pressed-for-control-of-uranium-company.html|title=Cash Flowed to Clinton Foundation Amid Russian Uranium Deal|first1=Jo|last1=Becker|first2=Mike|last2=McIntire|newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 23, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/clinton-foundation-received-millions-uranium-132500796.html|first1=Colin|last1=Campbell|first2=Pamela|last2=Engel|title=The Clinton Foundation received millions from investors as Putin took over 20% of US uranium deposits|date=April 23, 2015|website=[[Yahoo! Finance]]}}</ref> Hillary Clinton said she and Bill came out of the White House financially "broke" and in debt, especially due to large legal fees incurred during their years in the White House. "We had no money when we got there, and we struggled to, you know, piece together the resources for mortgages, for houses, for Chelsea's education". She added, "Bill has worked really hard&nbsp;... we had to pay off all our debts&nbsp;... he had to make double the money because of, obviously, taxes; and then pay off the debts, and get us houses, and take care of family members".<ref name="ABC-News-2014-06-09" />