Slow Burn: The Clinton Impeachment

Episode 2: There There

Date: August 15, 2018
Host: Leon Neyfakh (Slate Podcasts)
Main Theme:
This episode uncovers how the Clinton presidency, born from hope and ambition, quickly became beset by scandal, suspicion, and tragedy. It focuses on the roots and ramifications of early Clinton-era controversies—particularly the Whitewater land deal, the firing of the White House travel office staff (Travelgate), and the suicide of Deputy White House Counsel Vince Foster. The episode explores how those scandals laid the groundwork for years of political warfare, suspicion, and conspiracy theories that haunted the Clinton White House.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Clinton’s Early Political Baggage (00:00–07:50)

• Clinton’s plan to manage rumors: Even during his presidential run, Bill Clinton anticipated vulnerabilities about past infidelities. He opted for a strategy of acknowledging “trouble earlier in his marriage” but insisting those days were behind him.
  • Notable Quote [02:57]:
    Bill Clinton (paraphrasing plan): “Yes, [Hillary and I] had run into some trouble earlier in our marriage, but… that would be the line. The past was the past.”
• Jennifer Flowers scandal nearly derailed his campaign, but a joint TV interview with Hillary Clinton helped rehabilitate his image.
  • Notable Quote [04:56]:
    Hillary Clinton (on 60 Minutes, 06:07): “I’m not sitting here as some little woman, standing by my man like Tammy Wynette… I’m sitting here because I love him and I respect him and I honor what he’s been through… and what we’ve been through together.”
• Emergence of “Slick Willie”: Clinton’s evasive answers about the draft and marijuana fueled a reputation for slipperiness, but he was still elected, symbolizing optimism and change.
• Immediate problems: The euphoria of victory quickly faded amid a series of missteps and “mini-scandals” (cabinet nominees’ nanny issues, “Haircut-gate,” Whitewater).

2. Clash of Cultures: Arkansas Outsiders in Washington (08:00–15:00)

• Fobs—Friends of Bill: Clinton brought a group of close Arkansas associates (including Vince Foster, Webb Hubbell, and Joycelyn Elders) to D.C., forming the so-called “FOBs.”
• Insular image:
  • The Arkansas group stuck together, inviting scorn and skepticism from D.C. insiders and the media.
    Notable Quote [13:29]:
    Dr. Joycelyn Elders: “The people in Washington felt that they were the cream of the crop, and we were the Arkansas stepchildren.”
• Satire and ridicule: Shows like In Living Color lampooned the administration as provincial and amateurish (“Capitol hillbillies”).
• Cultural gap and suspicion: Little Rock’s tight-knit political culture, built on personal favors and insularity, didn’t translate well to the larger, scrutinizing world of D.C.

3. The Roots of Scandal: Travelgate and Vince Foster’s Ordeal (15:01–30:23)

• Travelgate:
  • Catherine Cornelius (Clinton’s third cousin) alerted Vince Foster to supposed mismanagement in the White House travel office.
  • The White House fired seven employees with minimal evidence, pushing Cornelius (just in her mid-20s) into power.
  • The press corps, accustomed to those staffers, was incensed—fueling allegations of “cronyism” and cover-up.
    Notable Moment [24:20]:
    Dee Dee Meyers (White House spokesperson): “She has a business degree…” [pressed regarding Cornelius’s qualifications].
  • Political fallout: Journalists and Republicans accused the administration of abuse of power for bringing in the FBI and IRS.
• Impact on Vince Foster:
  • Foster, a private, diligent Arkansas lawyer and friend of the Clintons, struggled with the intense D.C. scrutiny, media pressure, and his role in firing long-serving staffers.
  • The Wall Street Journal published a pointed staff editorial:
    Notable Quote [29:34]:
    “How an administration deals with critics is a basic test of its character and mores.”
  • Foster’s depression deepened; he wrote, “I was not meant for the job or the spotlight of public life in Washington. Here, ruining people was considered sport.” [30:07]
  • Despite Clinton’s attempts to offer solace, Foster declined invitations, and soon after died by suicide.

4. Vince Foster’s Death and the Spark of Whitewater Suspicion (30:24–38:50)

• The immediate aftermath:
  • Foster’s suicide shocked the administration.
  • The White House decided against disclosing his struggles with depression, presenting his death as “inexplicable.”
  • Controversy over documents:
    • To protect privileged material, counsel Bernie Nussbaum personally handled sensitive documents from Foster’s office before outsiders could see them—a move that, however, fueled suspicions of a coverup.

5. Whitewater: Breaking Down the Scandal (38:51–46:27)

• Three interlocking parts:
  1. The bad land deal: Clinton and Hillary, with friends Jim and Susan McDougal, lost money investing in the Whitewater Development Corporation in the late 1970s/early 1980s.
  2. The questionable loan: Allegation (from a bank officer) that Clinton leveraged his position to secure a $300,000 loan for the McDougals.
  3. Hillary’s legal work: Work for McDougal’s failing savings & loan bank, which later cost the federal government $73 million, with records unreleased or missing.
• Why Whitewater resonated only after Foster’s death:
  • Before, Whitewater was a “complicated and provincial and also dull” affair.
  • Foster’s suicide, the presence of missing documents, and sensational media coverage made the scandal tractable, almost cinematic.

6. Seeds of Conspiracy: The Vince Foster Obsession (46:28–52:00)

• Rise of conspiracy theories:
  • Right-wing journalist Christopher Ruddy (now of Newsmax) and others began suggesting that Foster’s death was not a suicide, seizing dubious “forensic inconsistencies.”
  • Media speculation and widespread rumor-mongering transformed Foster into a lasting symbol in the anti-Clinton imagination. Notable Quote [48:17]:
    Dr. Joycelyn Elders: “The fact that the man died was painful enough. But then to have to deal with all of the stories that was generated… was even worse.”

7. Culture of Secrecy and Media Pressure (52:01–57:30)

• Dueling impulses in Clinton White House:
  • Pressure mounted from the press and from inside government to release all Whitewater-related documents.
  • Some insiders (like Harold Ickes) advocated for openness:
    Notable Quote [53:57]:
    Jane Sherburne: “‘Let’s just have a yard sale, you know, put it all out on the lawn, you know, let them have at it.’ If that had occurred early on, I think it would have diffused a lot.”
  • The Clintons resisted, fearing that more transparency would just invite further scandal.
  • Their caution backfired, feeding suspicions and heightening scrutiny.

8. The Move to Independent Counsel (57:31–End)

• The tipping point:
  • Relentless headlines, including the NYT's “Release the Whitewater Files,” led to consensus that only an independent investigation could clear the air.
  • Despite White House counsel Bernie Nussbaum’s warnings (“It will act as a knife in your heart for the next eight years” [59:13]), Clinton acceded and requested Attorney General Janet Reno appoint a special prosecutor.
  • Robert Fiske was chosen, and his brief soon expanded to include the Foster case, Whitewater, and much more.
    Notable Quote [1:01:20]:
    Robert Fiske (on day of appointment): “I know you asked about the Foster suicide and that will be one of the things we will be trying to find out.”
  • Fiske’s successor, Ken Starr, would later redefine the “independent counsel” era.

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Clinton’s plan re: scandal admissions: 01:00–04:00
• Jennifer Flowers and 60 Minutes interview: 04:30–06:30
• “Slick Willie” reputation: 07:00–08:00
• Media ridicule of FOBs / Arkansas contingent: 13:05–15:00
• Travelgate explained / Vince Foster’s role: 21:00–29:00
• Foster’s decline & “I was not meant for the job…”: 30:00–31:00
• Foster’s death and aftermath: 33:00–38:00
• Whitewater, explained: 40:00–46:30
• Vince Foster conspiracy theories rise: 46:30–52:00
• Debate over releasing Whitewater documents: 52:01–57:30
• Decision to appoint independent counsel: 57:31–End

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Clinton’s appeal:
  • Ruth Marcus (Washington Post) [02:41]:
    “He was exciting both intellectually because he was full of ideas, full of policy, would stay up all night talking about policy until everybody else wanted to go to sleep. And he was also exciting because he was young and dynamic and really kind of charming.”
• On D.C. condescension toward Arkansas crew:
  • Dr. Joycelyn Elders [13:29]:
    “…we were the Arkansas stepchildren.”
• On the emotional toll of scandal:
  • Vince Foster (from a personal note) [30:07]:
    “I was not meant for the job or the spotlight of public life in Washington. Here, ruining people was considered sport.”
• On the Clintonian instinct for secrecy:
  • Jane Sherburne [53:27]:
    “There was this hubris about it that annoyed people and kept a certain segment…motivated to try and unmask all of that.”
• On the danger of special prosecutors:
  • Bernie Nussbaum [59:13]:
    “It will act as a knife in your heart for the next eight years.”
• On the media’s focus:
  • Host Leon Neyfakh [47:26]:
    “…Whitewater was kind of complicated and provincial and also dull. Then Vince Foster died. Question: what drove him to suicide? Did it have anything to do with Whitewater? …That was a story people could understand.”

Episode Structure & Flow

1. Clinton’s entry into national politics, with immediate vulnerabilities and charm.
2. The rapid onset of myriad scandals—ranging from sex to haircuts to real estate—casting a cloud over the administration.
3. Life in the White House for the Arkansas “outsiders,” and wariness from D.C. establishment.
4. The Travelgate scandal as a microcosm of Clintonian missteps and media reaction.
5. Vince Foster’s personal unraveling amid public attacks and his tragic suicide.
6. Accusations of coverup and secrecy after Foster’s death, intensifying focus on Whitewater.
7. The explosion of conspiracy theories and the Clinton White House’s struggle with transparency.
8. Mounting pressure, debate, and ultimately, the appointment of a special prosecutor—foreshadowing years of investigation and conflict.

Conclusion

This episode captures the turbulence of the Clinton White House's first year—scandal layered upon scandal, amplifying public mistrust, administrative paranoia, and partisan attacks. The story of Vince Foster’s tragic downfall humanizes the cost of these battles and shows how opaque, provincial matters like Whitewater could escalate—when combined with loss and rumor—into a political slow burn that would shape not only the Clinton era, but decades of American scandal and conspiracy thinking.

For those new to the Clinton impeachment saga, this episode lays out why the administration was never able to shake the aura of suspicion that dogged it for eight tumultuous years.