WASHINGTON, July 30 (UPI) -- A judges' panel Friday refused to reimburse expenses incurred by ex-Clinton aide David Watkins in the White House Travel Office investigation.
The special panel appointed prosecutors under the lapsed Independent Counsel Act, and still has the power to reimburse expenses that would not have occurred had it not been for such investigations.
In 1993, Watkins fired seven employees in the White House Travel Office after accounting irregularities were discovered. Watkins and then first lady Hillary Clinton were cleared in the independent investigation of the incident.
Watkins claimed $129,583.10 in legal expenses, but the panel awarded him only $7,517.75. Full reimbursement was opposed by the Justice Department.
The judges panel said Watkins was entitled only to expenses incurred in applying for and reviewing the independent counsel's final report.
None of the major figures in the overall investigation of the Whitewater independent counsel has been fully reimbursed, including former President Bill Clinton and his wife, who said they incurred $3 million in expenses.
