Clinton Statement on OIC Deal
Jan. 19, 2001 -- The following is the statement by President Clinton, read today by White House press secretary Jake Siewert. The statement is part of the deal between Clinton and Independent Counsel Robert Ray.
Today's announcement I'll have for you shortly bringscomplete closure to both the Office of the Independent Counselinvestigation and the Arkansas Bar Committee case without indictmentor disbarment. Neither the president's statement, nor the consentorder relates in any way to the president's grand jury testimony. Thepresident believes that that testimony was in no way evasive,misleading or false.
Today represents the conclusion of the Lewinsky investigation bythe Office of the Independent Counsel without the filing of anycriminal charges, the obtaining of any plea, or the acknowledgement ofany criminal conduct.
The issue in the disbarment lawsuit was always only aboutpunishment. The president conceded that his misleading and evasiveanswers in the Paula Jones deposition were properly subject tosanction, but did not agree that they merited disbarment. Thequestion was merely what kind of sanction, and the committee now hasformally acknowledged that this is not properly a disbarment case.Had the committee not attempted to disbar him, the president wouldhave settled this case long ago by accepting an appropriate sanction.
I'll now read a short statement by the president that we willmake available afterwards, and we will also have for you an exchangeof letters between the president's lawyer, David Kendall, and theOffice of the Independent Counsel, Robert Ray, which was memorializedthis morning. This is a statement by the president.
"Today, I signed a consent order in the lawsuit brought by theArkansas Committee on Professional Conduct which brings to an end thatproceeding.
"I have accepted a five-year suspension of my lawlicense, agreed to pay a $25,000 fine to cover counsel fees, andacknowledged a violation of one of the Arkansas model rules ofprofessional conduct because of testimony in my Paula Jones casedeposition. The disbarment suit will now be dismissed.
"I have taken every step I can to end this matter. I've alreadysettled the Paula Jones case, even after it was dismissed as beingcompletely without legal and factual merit. I have also paid courtand counsel fees and restitution and been held in civil contempt formy deposition testimony regarding Ms. Lewinsky, which Judge Wrightagreed had no bearing on Ms. Jones' case, even though I disagreed withthe findings in the judge's order.
"I will not seek any legal fees incurred as a result of theLewinsky investigation to which I might otherwise become entitledunder the Independent Counsel Act.
"I have had occasion frequently to reflect on the Jones case. Inthis consent order, I acknowledge having knowingly violated JudgeWright's discovery orders in my deposition in that case. I tried towalk a fine line between acting lawfully and testifying falsely, but Inow recognize that I did not fully accomplish this goal and thatcertain of my responses to questions about Ms. Lewinsky were false.
"I have apologized for my conduct and I have done my best toatone for it with my family, my administration and the Americanpeople. I have paid a high price for it, which I accept because itcaused so much pain to so many people. I hope my actions today willhelp bring closure and finality to the matters."