Starr had nothing on Clinton except the testimony of Jim McDougal and David Hale, two sleazy convicted felons and lifelong shysters, both of whom were facing long jail terms and whose only hope was cutting a deal with the OIC. Obviously, such testimony would be too tainted for a jury to believe.
That was where Susan McDougal came in. Starr needed her to verify McDougal's new, post-conviction story, figuring that if Hale and both McDougals all told the same story, it would be enough for a grand jury to indict and a regular jury to convict. Which it probably would have been.
That's why breaking Susan McDougal was so important to the OIC. Susan has repeatedly said that she was told she could walk free at any time, provided she would promise to testify falsely against the Clintons. But she went to jail rather than do so. And with her went Ewing's only chance to formally successfully accuse (albeit falsely) the Clintons of wrongdoing.
Hence the "draft" indcitment Ewing drew up was nothing but wishful thinking. There was never any evidence to base it on except the perjured testimony of two desperate, already convicted perjurers. He needed Susan McDougal to make it fly, and he never got her.
Hope it didn't hurt too much falling off that turnip truck.
Starr had nothing on Clinton except the testimony of Jim McDougal and David Hale . . . .
Afraid it's your reasoning that's bogus here.
Ewing--as you freely admit--had McDougal's testimony in hand--testimony that would have been just as helpful as Susan McD's in getting an indictment from a so-called "ham sandwich" Grand Jury.
Once Jim was safely boxed up in the slammer, word obviously went out from the White House defense team to prison brass at the Federal prison that McDougal should be "helped along" to the next world at the first best opportunity.
That's exactly what happened:
Bank Embezzlement crook, Clinton's convicted Whitewater partner. Died 3-8-98 of an apparent heart attack, while in solitary confinement, serving 3-yr sentence for bank fraud. He was going to be a key witness in Ken Starr's investigation and died while the reporters who were covering him were away covering a sudden, new standoff in Waco, (which, when he died, suddenly went away.) Jim McDougal suffered a heart attack that was brought on by the diuretics forced on him. They took him out of solitary as he collapsed, then left him alone in the medical wing. Instead of attempting to defibrillate his heart with equipment on hand at the facility, he was taken on a LONG drive to John Peter Smith hospital. Not the closest hospital to the Fort Worth Federal Medical Center, JPS is a welfare hospital, where (in the words of one local,) "they let interns practice on deadbeats".
Yet, it will be Starr who will carry McDougal's death on his conscious the rest of his life. Or, at least, he should.
One does not put their key witness against mafia dons in a place where the mafia controlled "guards" have free access to that witness.
Either Starr (like so many) were naive about the murderous capabilities of the Clintons (he may have been since Starr - unlike Schippers - seems to live in lalaland when it comes to the Clinton Crime family's capabilities to murder those who are gonna "Squeal" on them) or Starr himself was compromised from the get go and put McDougal there on purpose - knowing his silent "friends" would take care of this inconvenient and most damning witness against the Clintons.
I tend to go with option 1. Jim McDougal was murdered to prevent his testimony. Mission accomplished.
Same for Vince Foster, Ron Brown, Barbara Alice Wise, Jerry Parks - I am sure you know the list.