The
Arkansas Project was a series of investigations (mostly funded by businessman
Richard Mellon ScaifeRichard Mellon Scaife is an American newspaper publisher and billionaire. Scaife owns and publishes the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. With $1.2 billion, Scaife, a principal heir to the Mellon banking, oil, and aluminum fortune, is No...
) that were initiated with the intent of damaging and ending the presidency of
Bill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
. Scaife spent nearly $2 million on this anti-Clinton project.
The investigations included the reexamination of the death of White House aide, Vincent Foster (which had previously been ruled a suicide), the investigation of a 1970's real estate investment that Bill and Hillary Clinton had made in a development known as
WhitewaterThe Whitewater controversy was an American politics controversy that began with the real estate investments of Bill and Hillary Clinton and their associates, Jim and Susan McDougal in the Whitewater Development Corporation, a failed business venture in the 1970s and 1980s.A New York...
and the re-opening of allegations that Bill Clinton had sexually harassed an Arkansas state employee.
Background
In the 1980s and 1990s, the politically conservative
American Spectator magazine received donations from conservative benefactors. The Arkansas project began shortly after Richard Mellon Scaife, one of the largest donors to the magazine, directed that his donations be used for stories aimed at investigating and discrediting the Clintons. According to R.
Emmett TyrrellRobert Emmett Tyrrell, Jr. is an American conservative magazine editor, New York Times bestselling author, and columnist. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of The American Spectator. He writes under the byline R...
Jr., editor-in-chief of the
Spectator, the idea for the Arkansas Project was hatched on a fishing trip on the
Chesapeake BayThe Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
in the fall of 1993. The "Arkansas Project" name that later became famous was conceived as a joke; the actual name used within the
Spectator and the Scaife foundations was the "Editorial Improvement Project."
Project reporter/investigators were hired, including
David BrockDavid Brock is an American journalist and author, the founder of the media watchdog group, Media Matters for America, and a Democratic political operative...
, a self-described Republican "hitman", and
Rex ArmisteadRex Armistead, born 1930 in Lula, Mississippi is a private detective and former Mississippi state police officer and leading operative for the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission, who was heavily involved in the Arkansas Project, a co-ordinated attempt in the 1990s to investigate former U.S...
, a former police officer with a white supremacist past who was reportedly paid $350,000 for his efforts. Also assisting the project were Parker Dozhier, a bait shop owner who was reportedly a hard line right winger obsessed with bringing down Bill Clinton. They were tasked with investigating the Clintons and composing stories tying the Clintons to murders and drug smuggling as well as adultery.
According to Brock, Armistead and Brock met at an airport hotel in Miami, Florida in late 1993. There, Armistead laid out an elaborate "Vince Foster murder scenario", a scenario that Brock found implausible." Regardless, by the end of 1993, Brock was writing stories for the Spectator that made him "a lead figure in the drive to" get Clinton.
Ted OlsonTheodore Bevry Olson is a former United States Solicitor General, serving from June 2001 to July 2004 under President George W. Bush.- Early life :...
, who would later represent
George W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
in
Bush v Gore and be named
U.S. Solicitor GeneralThe United States Solicitor General is the person appointed to represent the federal government of the United States before the Supreme Court of the United States. The current Solicitor General, Donald B. Verrilli, Jr. was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 6, 2011 and sworn in on June...
, was a Board Member of the American Spectator Educational Foundation, and is thought to have known about or played some role in the Arkansas Project. His firm
Gibson, Dunn & CrutcherGibson, Dunn & Crutcher is a global law firm, founded in Los Angeles in 1890. The firm is one of the most prestigious and selective in the nation, and ranks among the most successful firms globally. Gibson Dunn has nearly 1,000 attorneys and over 2,000 staff located in 17 offices around the world,...
provided $14,000 worth of legal services, and he himself wrote or co-authored several articles that were paid for with Project funds. During Olsen's Senate
confirmation hearingAdvise and Consent is a 1959 political novel by Allen Drury that explores the United States Senate confirmation of controversial Secretary of State nominee Robert Leffingwell who is a former member of the Communist Party...
for Solicitor General, majority Republicans blocked Senator
Patrick LeahyPatrick Joseph Leahy is the senior United States Senator from Vermont and member of the Democratic Party. He is the first and only elected Democratic United States Senator in Vermont's history. He is the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Leahy is the second most senior U.S. Senator,...
's call for further committee inquiries on the subject of Olsen's ties to the Arkansas Project.
News stories
The investigations funded by Scaife money mostly concentrated on the
WhitewaterThe Whitewater controversy was an American politics controversy that began with the real estate investments of Bill and Hillary Clinton and their associates, Jim and Susan McDougal in the Whitewater Development Corporation, a failed business venture in the 1970s and 1980s.A New York...
investments, which extended to a conspiracy theory surrounding the death of Vince Foster, a Clinton aide with connections to Whitewater. Christopher W. Ruddy (a freelance reporter for the Scaife-owned
Pittsburgh Tribune-ReviewThe Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, also known as "the Trib," is the second largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
) published a series of articles claiming Clinton was behind Foster's suicide. Although Clinton was never found to have broken the law by Ken Starr, Ruddy published his book,
The Strange Death of Vincent FosterThe Strange Death of Vincent Foster: An Investigation is a book written by journalist Christopher W. Ruddy. Ruddy first wrote about the Foster story while reporting for The New York Post and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, owned by the millionaire Richard Scaife. The book is about a conspiracy...
, regardless. His conspiracy theories about Foster have even been dismissed by some more outspoken conservatives like
Ann CoulterAnn Hart Coulter is an American lawyer, conservative social and political commentator, author, and syndicated columnist. She frequently appears on television, radio, and as a speaker at public events and private events...
. The
Spectator stopped receiving Scaife funding when "it ran a scathing review of a book by journalist Christopher Ruddy, a Scaife favorite who has worked for the Pittsburgh newspaper owned by the billionaire."
In late November 1997 after Jeff Corry's review of Ruddy's book was published,
Reed IrvineReed Irvine was an economist who founded the media watchdog organization Accuracy in Media, and remained its head for 35 years....
of
Accuracy in MediaAccuracy In Media is an American, non-profit news media watchdog founded in 1969 by economist Reed Irvine. AIM describes itself as "a non-profit, grassroots citizens watchdog of the news media that critiques botched and bungled news stories and sets the record straight on important issues that...
(who has received about $2 million from Scaife since 1977) "reported in his newsletter that Scaife had called Tyrrell to say he was cutting him off." In fact, "Tyrrell confirmed in an interview that the call occurred but said he couldn't remember details of the conversation that ended all support from the man who had been his principal benefactor for nearly 30 years."
In 1999,
Joseph Farah-External links:* Official website* *...
's
Western Journalism CenterThe Western Journalism Center was founded in 1991 by Joseph Farah and James H. Smith. It is based in Sacramento, California.-Projects:...
"placed some 50 ads reprinting Ruddy's
Tribune-Review stories in the
Washington Times, then repackaged the articles as a packet titled 'The Ruddy Investigation,' which sold for $12." Shortly thereafter, the Western Journalism Center "circulated a video featuring Ruddy's claims, 'Unanswered-The Death of Vincent Foster,' that was produced by author
James DavidsonJames Dale Davidson is an American investment newsletter writer and author of The Sovereign Individual, The Great Reckoning, and Blood in the Streets, all three co-authored with William Rees-Mogg. He also wrote The Plague of the Black Debt - How to Survive the Coming Depression. He is also the...
, chairman of the
National Taxpayers UnionNational Taxpayers Union is a taxpayers advocacy organization and taxpayers union in the United States, founded in 1969 by James Dale Davidson. NTU advertises that it is the largest and oldest grassroots taxpayer organization in the nation, with 362,000 members nationwide. It is closely...
(NTU) and co-editor of the Strategic Investment newsletter."
In the late 1990s, Ruddy and Farah turned their focus to the internet with help from Scaife. Ruddy founded NewsMax and Farah started
WorldNetDailyWorldNetDaily is an American web site that publishes news and associated content from a U.S. conservative perspective. It was founded in May 1997 by Joseph Farah with the stated intent of "exposing wrongdoing, corruption and abuse of power" and is headquartered in Washington, D.C.-History:In...
which report news from a conservative perspective. Eventually, Scaife became an investor and the third-largest stockholder of NewsMax.
Writer David Brock was the first journalist who published the sexual allegations by
Paula JonesPaula Corbin Jones is a former Arkansas state employee who sued U.S. President Bill Clinton for sexual harassment. The lawsuit was dismissed before trial on the grounds that Jones failed to demonstrate any damages...
. The Troopergate investigation later led Jones to sue Clinton, successfully obtaining an out-of-court settlement in the hundreds of thousands. Brock continued his conspiracy theorizing until a 1997
EsquireEsquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
article titled "I Was a Conservative Hit Man" in which he recanted some of his claims. In 1998 he went further and personally apologized to Clinton. Brock was let go from the
Spectator and published his 2002 book
Blinded by the Right: The Conscience of an Ex-ConservativeBlinded by the Right: The Conscience of an Ex-Conservative is a 2002 book written by former conservative journalist David Brock detailing his departure from the conservative movement. It is also the story of his coming out as a gay man. In the book, he states that he visited gay bars with Matt...
."
See also
- Whitewater controversy
The Whitewater controversy was an American politics controversy that began with the real estate investments of Bill and Hillary Clinton and their associates, Jim and Susan McDougal in the Whitewater Development Corporation, a failed business venture in the 1970s and 1980s.A New York...
- The Clinton Chronicles
The Clinton Chronicles: An Investigation into the Alleged Criminal Activities of Bill Clinton is a 1994 film created by Patrick Matrisciana. This video explored the deaths of Vincent Foster and an alleged cocaine-smuggling operation purportedly involving BCCI, Dan Lasater and then Governor of...
- The Hunting of the President
The Hunting of the President is a 2004 English language documentary film about Bill Clinton. Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton appear in archived footage...
- "Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy
"Vast right-wing conspiracy" was a conspiracy theory advanced by then United States First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in 1998 in defense of her husband, President Bill Clinton, and his administration during the Lewinsky scandal, characterizing the Lewinsky charges as the latest in a long,...
"
- Citizens United
Citizens United is a conservative non-profit organization in the United States. Its president and chairman is David Bossie.-Overview:Citizens United describes its mission as being dedicated to restoring the United States government to "citizens' control" and to "assert American values of limited...
- David Bossie
David N. Bossie is an American political activist. Since 2000 he has been President and Chairman of conservative advocacy organization Citizens United.-Early life:...
- Floyd Brown
Floyd Gregory Brown is an American author, speaker and media commentator. He is president of Excellentia Inc., a consulting company specializing in non-profit organizational strategy, development and marketing. Brown has also worked as a political consultant and conducted opposition research for...
- David Hale
David Hale is a former Arkansas municipal judge, a former Arkansas banker, and a self proclaimed Bill Clinton political supporter—though he never made substantial contributions to any of his campaigns. He alleged the charges that resulted in the Whitewater scandal trials. He worked with Jim...
- James D. Johnson
James Douglas Johnson, known as Justice Jim Johnson , was a former associate justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court, a two-time candidate for governor of Arkansas in 1956 and 1966, and in 1968 an unsuccessful candidate for the U.S...
- opposition research
Opposition research is:# The term used to classify and describe efforts of supporters or paid consultants of a political candidate to legally investigate the biographical, legal or criminal, medical, educational, financial, public and private administrative and or voting records of the opposing...
External links
- The Life and Death of the American Spectator The Atlantic 2001
- Ding, Dong, the Cultural Witch Hunt Is Dead by Frank Rich
Frank Rich is an American essayist and op-ed columnist who wrote for The New York Times from 1980, when he was appointed its chief theatre critic, until 2011...
on the Arkansas Project
- White House Tries to Broker Compromise on Nomination Discusses Ted Olson's role in the Arkansas Project
- Senate Committee is Split by Party on a Bush Nominee New York Times May 18, 2001 (More on Olson's role)
- The Senate Plumbers New York Times
- Abroad at Home; Slime on the Right Discussed Arkansas Project, New York Times May 4, 1998
- Spotlight Shifts to a Conservative Patron Discusses Scaife role in the Arkansas Project, New York Times
- Almost $2 Million Spent in Magazine's Anti-Clinton Project, but on What? New York Times
- Olson Approved As Solicitor General Mentions Olson's role in the Arkansas Project CBS News
- Anti-Clinton Billionaire Goes Before Grand Jury Washington Post September 29, 1998
- Hundreds of Millions Flow to Congenial Groups Washington Post May 2, 1999
- The Scaife-funded "Boot" behind Klein's "Truth" Media Matters for America Jun 9, 2005
- Who Is Richard Mellon Scaife? CNN
- Salon's conspiracy Salon.com April 20, 1998
- Arkansas Project Salon.com's Directory of 30 new stories on the Arkansas Project
- Documents of grants from Scaife's foundations
- The Vincent Foster Factory Columbia Journalism Review, April 1996