Word: mcdougall
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...Whitewater partner Susan McDougal won an important victory on Monday at the expense of Independent Counsel Ken Starr and his prosecutors. A Little Rock, Ark., federal jury acquitted McDougal of obstruction of justice charges stemming from the Whitewater investigation, and the judge in the case declared a mistrial on two contempt charges after the jury deadlocked on those counts. The not guilty verdict on the obstruction charge is significant, says TIME Washington correspondent Viveca Novak, who has been following the trial: ?That?s the charge on which the jury was allowed to consider her state of mind, and apparently...
...quietly buried. Starr will appear before the panel with his critics? accusations of overzealousness confirmed, in their eyes, by the verdict. In addition, Starr will be faced in the days ahead with another decision, which his congressional opponents will be eyeing very closely: Will he decide to retry McDougal on the deadlocked counts? Those who have criticized Starr for his multiple prosecutions in the past will be ready to pounce if he does, says Novak. And they will have none other than McDougal and her words on Monday to launch their attack. Said McDougal: ?I?ve been indicted since...
...ever said that the original Whitewater mess was boring? Forget the excitement of the Monica Lewinsky scandal -- Susan McDougal's Whitewater contempt trial went on a wild roller coaster ride on Friday when, of all things, a juror brought an Arkansas criminal law book into the room where the jury was deliberating McDougal's fate. A court clerk snatched it before the jury could consult the book. The judge abruptly halted the proceedings to investigate the possibility of jury tampering, but deciding that no harm had been done he later ordered the deliberations to resume on Monday. "The strange incident...
...straightforward on the issue of freelance investigation and research by jurors: It's strictly prohibited. Juries are supposed to reach their decision only on the evidence they hear at trial, and only according to the legal instructions they receive from the judge -- period. The McDougal jury has been struggling since it went into deliberations, however, sending out no fewer than three notes seeking clarification on various points, such as state of mind and the meaning of "innocent reason." Says Novak: "It's difficult to know, but they seemed to be begging to be informed about what might be a reasonable...
...proportion, if not out-of-control, probe. "Many on the Hill believe his investigation has sprawled too far, pulled in too many bystanders and cost too much," says Novak. Furthermore, Starr will arrive at the hearings with a self-dealt weakened hand: the current contempt prosecution of Susan McDougal -- her third major legal battle stemming from Starr's Whitewater investigation -- in which a jury verdict could come within days. "Win or lose the trial," says Novak, "Starr will again be on display for going after his targets over and over again." That perception can only hurt the chances...