Whitewater

Starr Looking At Payments To Hubbell -- Mar. 5, 1997

As Webb Hubbell Walks, David Hale Talks -- Feb. 12, 1997

Payments To Hubbell Questioned

Hubbell refuses to answer questions about his clients

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, March 6) -- At a stakeout outside his Washington, D.C., home this morning, former Justice Department official Webster Hubbell refused to answer questions about income he received after leaving the Clinton Administration in 1994.

Hubbell took in more than $400,000 after being forced to resign from the Justice Department and before pleading guilty to fraud and tax evasion charges, according to The New York Times.

When questioned about the money, Hubbell told reporters, "I am not going to talk about my clients. If my clients want to talk about their business, then that is fine. But as a lawyer and a consultant you don't talk about your clients."

Whitewater independent counsel Kenneth Starr is now examining whether any payments made to Hubbell, a former law partner of Hillary Rodham Clinton's, discouraged him from cooperating with the investigation into the Clinton's finances.

Insisting that he is cooperating with investigators, Hubbell brushed off the latest revelations, saying, "I went to work after I left Justice like anybody would expect me to do."

"I really would like to get on with my life, but what is going on prevents me from doing so," Hubbell said.

The $400,000 in fees came from a variety of companies (including Time Warner) and individuals. Some of the payments had already been reported, but the total sum stated by the Times is much greater than previous estimates.

The largest amount was paid by Hong Kong-based businesses controlled by Indonesia's Riady family, which were organizing a $2 billion U.S.-Chinese development in China. Hubbell was paid at about the same time the project received endorsement from the Clinton Administration.

The Times's list of sources also includes businesses of Clinton friends and campaign supporters, including attendees of the controversial White House coffees and guests who stayed in the Lincoln Bedroom.