United States Senate Whitewater Committee
Encyclopedia
The Senate Whitewater Committee was a special committee convened by the United States Senate
during the Clinton administration to investigate the Whitewater scandal. The formal, official name of the committee was the Special Committee to Investigate Whitewater Development Corporation and Related Matters and it was administered by the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
.
The committee was created by ("A resolution establishing a special committee administered by the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs to conduct an investigation involving Whitewater Development Corporation, Madison Guaranty Savings and Loan Association, Capital Management Services, Inc., the Arkansas Development Finance Authority, and other related matters") on May 17, 1995, as approved by the Senate, 96-3. The committee's hearings ran for 300 hours over 60 sessions across 13 months, taking over 10,000 pages of testimony and 35,000 pages of depositions from almost 250 people; many of these marks were records for Senate committees. The committee issued an 800-page final majority report on June 18, 1996, concluding its activities.
Some key figures of the Senate Whitewater Committee were:
Unlike the 1973 Senate Watergate Committee hearings, the Whitewater hearings did not receive much public interest. They were televised on C-SPAN
, not the major networks; they were reported on in daily newspapers, but rarely made evening newscasts. Media critics rated the hearings a "snooze"; there were few dramatic moments of testimony, as D'Amato and Chertoff were unable to find any "smoking gun
s" for their case.
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
during the Clinton administration to investigate the Whitewater scandal. The formal, official name of the committee was the Special Committee to Investigate Whitewater Development Corporation and Related Matters and it was administered by the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
The United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs has jurisdiction over matters related to: banks and banking, price controls, deposit insurance, export promotion and controls, federal monetary policy, financial aid to commerce and industry, issuance of redemption of notes,...
.
The committee was created by ("A resolution establishing a special committee administered by the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs to conduct an investigation involving Whitewater Development Corporation, Madison Guaranty Savings and Loan Association, Capital Management Services, Inc., the Arkansas Development Finance Authority, and other related matters") on May 17, 1995, as approved by the Senate, 96-3. The committee's hearings ran for 300 hours over 60 sessions across 13 months, taking over 10,000 pages of testimony and 35,000 pages of depositions from almost 250 people; many of these marks were records for Senate committees. The committee issued an 800-page final majority report on June 18, 1996, concluding its activities.
Some key figures of the Senate Whitewater Committee were:
- Al D'AmatoAl D'AmatoAlfonse Marcello "Al" D'Amato is an American lawyer and former New York politician. A Republican, he served as United States Senator from New York from 1981 to 1999.-Early life and family:...
(Republican - New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
), chair - Paul SarbanesPaul SarbanesPaul Spyros Sarbanes , a Democrat, is a former United States Senator who represented the state of Maryland. Sarbanes was the longest-serving senator in Maryland history, having served from 1977 until 2007. He did not seek re-election in 2006, when he was succeeded by fellow Democrat Ben Cardin...
(Democratic - MarylandMarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
), ranking member - Michael ChertoffMichael ChertoffMichael Chertoff was the second United States Secretary of Homeland Security under President George W. Bush and co-author of the USA PATRIOT Act. He previously served as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, as a federal prosecutor, and as assistant U.S. Attorney...
- majority (Republican) counsel - Richard Ben-VenisteRichard Ben-VenisteRichard Ben-Veniste , is an American lawyer. He first rose to prominence as a special prosecutor during the Watergate scandal. He has also been a member of the 9/11 Commission. He is known for his pointed questions and criticisms of members of both the Clinton and George W...
- minitory (Democratic) counsel
Unlike the 1973 Senate Watergate Committee hearings, the Whitewater hearings did not receive much public interest. They were televised on C-SPAN
C-SPAN
C-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
, not the major networks; they were reported on in daily newspapers, but rarely made evening newscasts. Media critics rated the hearings a "snooze"; there were few dramatic moments of testimony, as D'Amato and Chertoff were unable to find any "smoking gun
Smoking gun
The term "smoking gun" was originally, and is still primarily, a reference to an object or fact that serves as conclusive evidence of a crime or similar act. In addition to this, its meaning has evolved in uses completely unrelated to criminal activity: for example, scientific evidence that is...
s" for their case.