Arkansas Roots

Vincent Foster, the closest partner to Hillary Clinton at the Rose Law Firm, had handled paperwork for the Clintons' most intimate finances. When they sold their Whitewater stake back to Jim McDougal in 1992, Foster represented them.

In 1993, the Clinton Administration's growing troubles weighed heavily on Foster. As deputy White House counsel, he filed three years of tax returns for the Whitewater investment on their behalf. At the same time, he was apparently distraught over the White House Travel Office scandal, in which Mrs. Clinton stood accused of cronyism.

On July 20, Foster was found shot to death in a suburban Washington, D.C., park. His death has been ruled a suicide by three investigations, including, reportedly, the ongoing probe led by Kenneth Starr. Federal and Senate investigators question whether records pertaining to Whitewater, including those detailing Hillary Clinton's controversial legal work, were removed from Foster's office by Clinton aides that night.