Ken Starr, Who Led the Sexual Inquisition Against Bill Clinton, Suddenly Embroiled in Major University Scandal

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Kenneth Starr, the former Independent Counsel who led the investigation that ultimately resulted in the impeachment of President Bill Clinton, now finds himself intricately involved in yet another sex scandal—this one pertaining to his tenure as president of Baylor University.

Starr, who was named chancellor of the Waco, Texas, Baptist school in 2010, was involved in ongoing investigations into the school’s handling of several high-profile sexual assaults. A tweet went out from a local news station saying that Ken Starr was fired, but AP News has since reported that university spokewsoman Lori Fogleman refuted that claim in an email, saying, "Ken Starr is president and chancellor of Baylor University."

Waco police arrested former Baylor football player and NFL draft hopeful Shawn Oakman in April on charges he sexually assaulted a fellow student. Earlier this month, Jacob Anderson, president of Phi Delta Theta at Baylor, was arrested on four counts of sexual assault stemming from an alleged incident at a fraternity party in February. And in August of last year, prosecutors secured a conviction against Baylor defensive end Sam Ekwuachu on charges he sexually assaulted a former Baylor soccer player.

In March 2016, Jasmin Hernandez filed a Title IX lawsuit against Baylor, claiming officials ignored her after she reported being raped by football player Tevin Elliot in 2012. According to the lawsuit, officials told Hernandez’s mother multiple times they were “too busy” to assist her daughter, at one point allegedly saying, “even if a plane falls on your daughter, there’s nothing we can do to help you.”

Following Ekwuachu’s conviction, Baylor initiated an external review of the school’s response to sexual assault victims, headed by the Pepper Hamilton law firm. In a statement Tuesday, Baylor declined to confirm the ousting of Starr, but said the board continues to review the Pepper Hamilton findings.

“The Baylor Board of Regents continues its work to review the findings of the Pepper Hamilton investigation and we anticipate further communication will come after the Board completes its deliberations,” the statement read. “We will not respond to rumors, speculation or reports based on unnamed sources, but when official news is available, the University will provide it. We expect an announcement by June 3.”

In a strange twist of fate, this news follows a New York Times report that Starr, who spearheaded the bitter partisan campaign against President Clinton during the Whitewater investigation and subsequent impeachment proceedings, expressed regret over the investigation’s impact on Clinton’s legacy.

He called Bill Clinton “the most gifted politician of the baby boomer generation,” noting that Clinton “clearly continues to follow” a powerful redemptive process forged by President Jimmy Carter.

“[Clinton’s] genuine empathy for human beings is absolutely clear,” Starr said. “It is powerful, it is palpable and the folks of Arkansas really understood that about him.” Starr added, “The ‘I feel your pain’ is absolutely genuine.”

Patrick LaForge of the New York Times summed it up: