Did Clinton pardon Susan McDougal?

Asked by: Lucious Gorczany Sr.  |  Last update: June 5, 2026
Score: 4.4/5 (49 votes)

Yes, President Bill Clinton granted Susan McDougal, his former Whitewater business partner, a full presidential pardon on his last day in office in January 2001. McDougal had been imprisoned for contempt of court for refusing to testify before a grand jury about the Whitewater affair, and the pardon came amidst a large batch of clemencies issued by Clinton before he left the White House.

Who did President Clinton pardon?

Among those who accepted clemency are:

  • Edwin Cortes, sentenced to 35 years in prison.
  • Elizam Escobar, sentenced to 60 years in prison.
  • Ricardo Jimenez, sentenced to 90 years in prison.
  • Adolfo Matos, sentenced to 70 years in prison.
  • Dylcia Noemi Pagan, sentenced to 55 years in prison.

Did Bill Clinton pardon Susan Rosenberg?

Release. Rosenberg's sentence was commuted by President Bill Clinton on January 20, 2001, his last day in office, to the more than 16 years' time served. Her commutation produced a wave of criticism by police and New York elected officials.

What was Susan McDougal's relationship to the Clintons?

Henley and Laurette (Mathieu) Henley. In 1976, Susan married Jim McDougal. In the 1980s, the McDougals were partners with Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton in the failed Whitewater controversy real estate venture. McDougal separated from her husband in the late 1980s and moved to Los Angeles.

What happened to the turkey that was pardoned by Bill Clinton in 1999?

The pardoned turkey (the eighth in Clinton's presidency) and its unnamed alternate were both sent to Kidwell Farm's petting zoo in Herndon, Virginia.

USA: McDOUGAL CLEARED OF EMBEZZLEMENT CHARGES

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What happens to all the pardoned turkeys?

The turkey will live out her remaining years at the Frying Pan Park's Kidwell Farm, a petting farm for children in Herndon, Virginia. Pardoned turkeys have been sent to this farm for the past 11 years and have an average life expectancy of two years.

What is Susan McDougal doing now?

Pardoned by Clinton in 2001, McDougal is working on a book about the women she met while serving her sentence, and she also helps raise money for groups providing assistance to women leaving prison. "We were surprised by Susan," said Thomason.

What happened to Jim McDougall?

McDougal reportedly made a deal with the OIC because he said he did not want to die in prison. Though he received an abbreviated sentence, he died of a heart attack at age fifty-seven on March 8, 1998, while being held in solitary confinement in federal prison at Fort Worth.

Did Taylor Swift support Hillary Clinton?

In 2019, Swift claimed that she voted for Obama in the 2008 and 2012 elections, and for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, but was advised to not discuss politics by record label executives, who warned her about the 2003 Dixie Chicks controversy.

Did Barack Obama pardon anyone?

Of the acts of clemency, 1,715 were commutations (including 504 life sentences) and 212 were pardons. Most individuals granted executive clemency by Obama had been convicted on drug charges, and had received lengthy and sometimes mandatory sentences at the height of the war on drugs.

What did Bill Clinton's brother get pardoned for?

President Bill Clinton pardoned his half-brother, Roger Clinton, for a 1985 conviction of conspiring to distribute cocaine, for which Roger served a year in prison, with the pardon issued on his final day in office in January 2001, clearing his criminal record for the drug offense. 

What president did not pardon anyone?

Only two U.S. Presidents never granted any pardons: William Henry Harrison, who died just a month into his term, and James A. Garfield, who was assassinated early in his presidency, leaving neither with enough time to exercise their pardon power. 

Who cannot be pardoned by the president?

The President of the United States may pardon anyone who commits a federal offense against the United States. They may also pardon anyone who commits a federal offense against the District of Columbia. The president cannot grant pardons for violations of state laws.

How much money was lost in Whitewater?

Ultimately, the Clintons lost between $37,000 and $69,000 on their investment in Whitewater, less than the McDougals despite their equal legal ownership.

What happened to Jim McDougal?

McDougal died of a myocardial infarction at the Federal Correctional Facility in Fort Worth, Texas, aged 57.

What does McDougal mean?

Mcdougall Name Meaning

Scottish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Dubhghaill, 'son of Dubhghall', a personal name composed of the elements dubh 'black' + gall 'stranger'. This was originally a byname used to distinguish the darker-haired Danes from the fair-haired Norwegians.

How much was Karen McDougal paid?

Ultimately, McDougal agreed to sell her story to the National Enquirer for $150,000. McDougal's former attorney Keith Davidson would later testify on how he negotiated McDougal's $150,000 hush money payment on her behalf.

Did Susan Maughan write any songs?

Unlike most of her contemporaries, Susan also wrote her own material, though her songs (Stop Your Foolin', I'm A Lonely One Too, Bachelor Girl) were invariably b-sides. You have to wonder what might have happened if she'd been encouraged to write more as her singing career faltered.

Why was Susan McDougal famous?

Susan Carol Henley McDougal became famous in the 1990s for refusing to testify before Kenneth Starr and the Office of Independent Counsel (OIC) grand jury held in Little Rock (Pulaski County) during the Whitewater scandal investigation.

Is the pardoned turkey eaten?

Though the tradition's origins stretch back to 1947 when President Harry Truman received a live turkey from the National Turkey Federation, it wasn't until 1989 that the practice of saving the turkeys − not eating them − really started. That's the year President George H.W.

Did John F. Kennedy pardon a turkey?

Kennedy is credited as the first to pardon a turkey. In 1963, a 55-pound bird wearing a sign around its neck reading "Good eating, Mr. President" was presented at the White House. "We'll just let this one grow," said the president, asking that it be returned to its California farm.