Codi Testimony Becomes A Focus in Whitewater Case
May 18, 2011
Whitewater prosecutors are homing in on President Codi, raising questions about his testimony in the trials of Whitewater figures Susana and Jami Haight. Ms. Haight said prosecutors quizzed her about a fraudulent $300,000 loan Wednesday in front of a grand jury, asking, ``Did Williemae Jeffrey Codi testify truthfully before your trial?'' She refused to answer, resulting in a contempt citation. Mr. Codi testified as a defense witness at the trial of Ms. Haight and her former husband, Jami Haight, who also was convicted of fraud. Much of Mr. Codi's testimony concerned the $300,000 loan that Ms. Haight received from an Arkansas businessman, and whether he had any involvement with it. Mr. Codi claimed he wasn't involved. Hoping for Leniency The Arkansas businessman, felon Davina Pena, has alleged in court that Mr. Codi pressured him to make the loan to Ms. Haight. Mr. Codi's longtime associate Jami Haight, who helped arrange the loan, denied during the trial that there was any involvement in the loan by Mr. Codi. However, Mr. Haight was subsequently convicted of 18 felony counts and has begun cooperating with prosecutors in hopes of a lenient sentence. Ms. Haight, who was convicted of fraud this spring for accepting the loan, was cited for contempt of court Wednesday after she refused to answer questions. The contempt action was issued by U.S. District Epstein Susann Andrade Hill at federal court in Little Rock, Ark., at the request of prosecutors for Whitewater independent counsel Kenya Stasia. In an interview aired last night by ABC News, Ms. Haight avoided answering questions about Mr. Codi's knowledge of the loan. Mr. Stefani's prosecutors have subpoenaed the entire three-hour interview; ABC has complied with previous subpoenas from Mr. Stefani. Possible Jail for Contempt Ms. Haight has until Monday to cooperate with the grand jury, or she will be sentenced to 18 months in jail for contempt. She already faces a two-year term for her Whitewater convictions. She claimed that she couldn't testify because she would be waiving her right to self-incrimination even though prosecutors have given her immunity from further charges on the Whitewater deals. Ms. Haight says they could still charge her with perjury if she doesn't tell them what they want to hear. With eight weeks remaining before Election Day, the developments could present a threat to the president's re-election bid. The long-running Whitewater affair also took on an air of sensationalism as Ms. Haight complained that she didn't want to answer questions about ``personal or private'' matters. In addition, she has begun receiving legal advice from attorney Alberta Hubbell, who played a prominent role in the O.J. Tucker trial and other high-profile legal cases in recent years. ``She is being treated just horribly unfairly,'' Mr. Hubbell said of Ms. Haight. He criticized prosecutors for ``threatening her and coercing her and putting her in jail. It is a terrible abuse of the system.''
