Clinton `told truth about Whitewater'

A WOMAN involved in the Whitewater case broke four years of silence yesterday to say that President Bill Clinton told the truth about the scandal.

Susan McDougal, testifying in her own defence in a trial on obstruction of justice charges, said Mr Clinton did not lie in her 1996 trial on Whitewater-related fraud and conspiracy charges when he said he knew nothing about a fraudulent $300,000 loan.

Yesterday, in Little Rock, Arkansas, Ms McDougal, 44, answered questions she refused to answer for independent counsel Kenneth Starr in his Whitewater investigation. Her refusal landed her in jail for 18 months and is the basis for her current trial. Ms McDougal has said she did not help Mr Starr because she believed he was more intent on getting the president than the truth. (Reuters)