Larry Nichols
Larry Nichols (born March 19, 1949 or c. 1951[1]) is an American known for alleging various conspiracy theories in regards to Bill Clinton. He is one of the creators of the 1994 film The Clinton Chronicles.
Early life
Nichols grew up in Conway, Arkansas, where he was a star in high school football.[2] He then made a living writing advertising jingles[2] and also plays as a guitarist in local rock bands.[1]
Career
Nichols was hired by Governor of Arkansas Bill Clinton in 1988 as marketing director for the Arkansas Development Finance Authority.[1][2] His animus towards the governor dates to later in 1988 when the Associated Press reported he had placed 642 long-distance calls at state expense on behalf of the Contras in Nicaragua, either to Nicaragua or to U.S. politicians backing them.[2] At first Nichols claimed the calls were related to the finance authority but when that story did not hold up,[2] Clinton dismissed him from the state government.[1][3]
Nichols filed a lawsuit against Clinton for improper dismissal.[4] As part of this, during Clinton's 1990 gubernatorial reelection campaign, Nichols announced his claim that the governor was using state funds to conduct affairs with five different women.[5] His charges did not get much attention at the time,[2][5] but when Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton achieved national prominence with the Bill Clinton presidential campaign, 1992, Nichols came to the forefront of those proclaiming knowledge of local Clinton misdeeds.[4] A January 23, 1992, article in Star Magazine about him named five women, including beauty contest winners Elizabeth Gracen and Lencola Sullivan, and Arkansas state employee Gennifer Flowers.[4] Flowers alleged a prolonged affair with Bill Clinton and played tapes of telephone conversations she had with him, leading to an early crisis in the Clinton campaign, and an appearance on January 26 on 60 Minutes with Steve Kroft.[4]
Nichols later dropped his lawsuit against Clinton,[1] but throughout the Clinton presidency he was a frequent guest on conservative talk radio and promulgated various theories about Clinton.[1]€[2] The New York Times characterized Nichols as one of the "Clinton crazies".[1] In a 1997 interview, Nichols said, "They may just kill me. You'll read one day that I got drunk and ran into a moving bridge. Or Larry Nichols got depressed over everything and blew his head off."[1]
In 2013 Nichols claimed a career as a hit-man, stating on The Pete Santilli Show that he had murdered people, on command, for the Clintons.[6] But he said in 2015 that he had been taking painkillers when he made the 2013 remark and that he did not mean it.[3]
Nichols gained some renewed media attention in context of the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016.[3] Initially, in early 2015, he said that even though he did not like her he might support her candidacy because he believed she was tough enough to combat Islamic terrorism.[3] There are no reliable reports on how his outlook after that point may have changed.
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Weiss, Philip (1997-02-23). "Clinton Crazy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-11-08.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Lyons, Gene. "The roots of the Clinton smear". Salon. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 Tim Murphy (May–June 2015). "My Travels on the Clinton Conspiracy Trail". mother Jones. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 BROWNSTEIN, RONALD; HALL, JANE (January 26, 1992). "Clinton Accuser to Drop Lawsuit : Politics: Larry Nichols says case alleging infidelity by presidential candidate has 'gone way too far.' Arkansas governor and wife will appear on TV.". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 15, 2016 – via LA Times.
- 1 2 Lois Romano (March 2, 1998). "Special Report: Clinton Accused". Washington Post. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
- ↑ "Former Hillary Associate Claims to Have Been Her Personal Hit Man… Admits to Killing for Money". July 4, 2016.