Arkansas/Attorney General

Arkansas/Attorney General  (Attorney General)
Start	1843
Website	http://www.ag.arkansas.gov/
The Attorney General of Arkansas

The Attorney General of Arkansas, usually known simply as the Attorney General (AG), is one of Arkansas's seven constitutional officers. The officeholder serves as the state's top law enforcement officer and consumer advocate.

Role and duties

The Attorney General represents state agencies and commissions in courts of law, giving opinions on issues presented by legislators and prosecutors, handling criminal matters and habeas corpus matters in the state, and advocating for citizens on issues pertaining to the environment, antitrust, and consumer protection.

Bill Clinton and Whitewater

Bill Clinton was Attorney General from 1977-79. Clinton had known Arkansas businessman and political figure Jim McDougal (later part of the Clinton body count) since 1968, and had made a previous real estate investment with him in 1977. In the late 1970s, the Clintons invested in 220 acres of riverfront property in the Ozarks of northern Arkansas. The goal was to develop vacation homes to be sold at a handsome profit. A decade later, when the savings and loan company of a Whitewater business associate failed, taxpayers were on the hook for $60 million in bailouts.

Steve Clark

In 1973, at the age of twenty-five, Steve Clark became assistant dean of the University of Arkansas School of Law, where he met and became fast friends with a new law instructor, Bill Clinton, and then a year later with Clinton’s future wife, Hillary Rodham, who had joined the faculty. In 1979, at age 31, Clark became the nation's youngest attorney general under governor Clinton, and served 1979-1991. Clark was convicted in November 1990 of abusing his expense privileges. He was fined $10,000 but drew no prison time.

 

An Office Holder on Wikispooks

Name	From	To
Bill Clinton	3 January 1977	9 January 1979

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