Monday, April 12, 1999 --- New York (APJP) -- A jury in Little Rock, Arkansas, has found Kenneth W. Starr and the Office of Independent Counsel guilty of obstruction of justice in the case of Susan McDougal, a friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton whose husband, the late Jim McDougal, was the key figure in the fake Whitewater scandal.

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Technically, Ms. McDougal was the person on trial; however, her acquittal on the obstruction of justice count upholds the case and argument of Ms. McDougal and her attorney, Mark Geragos -- namely, that Kenneth W. Starr and his staff were guilty of not seeking the truth in the Whitewater matter, and were in fact targeting Bill and Hillary Clinton for political reasons and by any means at their disposal -- including falsified testimony. The witnesses called by Geragos included Stephen Smith and Julie Hiatt Steele, whose testimony proved a pattern and practice on the part of Starr's office to extort false testimony from witnesses using threats of legal actions.

In a brief statement to the press, Geragos invited Starr to "get the heck out of Arkansas."

Prosecutor Mark Barrett was only able to say that the outcome was a "disappointment." barrett is the same prosecutor who had once said that "count three [the obstruction charge] is what this case is all about."

The jury was deadlocked on two other counts, though it should be noted that by a vote of 7 to 5, they found that Starr was guilty of bringing false contempt of court charges against McDougal.

The verdict not only vindicated Susan McDougal of politically-motivated claims made against her but yielded sworn testimony which may lead to further sanctions against kenneth W. Starr and the Office of Independent Counsel. Starr remains under multiple investigations for criminal and professional misconduct.