Clinton's farewell pardon

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, JAN, 20. In one of his final acts as the U.S. President, Mr. Bill Clinton, pardoned more than 100 Americans including his former Whitewater Business partner, Ms. Susan McDougal, and the one time Housing Secretary, Mr. Henry Cisneros. Mr. Clinton also has pardoned his brother Mr. Roger Clinton, who was convicted on a drug charge.

Prominent among not convicted included Mr. Jonathan Pollard, a former Navy analyst jailed for spying for Israel. Also in this list would be Mr. Webster Hubbell, the former law partner of the outgoing First Lady and presently a Senator, Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The pardoning of Ms. Susam McDougal comes barely a day after Mr. Clinton agreed to a deal with the Independent Counsel in which he surrendered his law licence for five years and agreed to pay a fine of $ 25,000. The Independent Counsel announced that the formal investigations of Whitewater will cease.

Ms. McDougal went to prison rather than testify in the Whitewater Investigations. Her contention was that the Special Prosecutor's office was on a personal vendetta against the Clintons and was pursuing the charges for political reasons. But her former husband, James McDougal, chose to cooperate with the then Independent Counsel, Mr. Kenneth Starr and was convicted. James McDougal died in prison.

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