You've probably seen the memes. Or maybe you’ve scrolled past a heated thread on X where someone mentions a name you don’t recognize, followed by a cryptic emoji of a coffin. It's one of those things that just won't go away. The Clinton body count—the idea that Bill and Hillary Clinton have spent decades "eliminating" people who knew too much—is basically the grandfather of modern political conspiracy theories.
Honestly, it’s a lot to wrap your head around. We’re talking about a list that has ballooned from about two dozen names in the early 90s to over a hundred today, depending on which corner of the internet you’re hanging out in. But where did this actually start? Was there ever a "smoking gun," or is this just a masterclass in how humans try to find patterns in total chaos?
The 1994 Origins: How the Clinton Body Count Went Viral (90s Style)
Before Facebook and TikTok, you had fax machines and VHS tapes. That's how this started. In 1994, a lawyer and activist named Linda Thompson compiled a list titled "The Clinton Body Count: Coincidence or the Kiss of Death?" It was a pretty wild document. She sent it to former Congressman William Dannemeyer, who actually urged leadership to hold hearings on it.
But here’s the kicker: Thompson herself admitted in the Congressional Record that she had "no direct evidence" of the Clintons actually killing anyone. She kinda moved the goalposts, suggesting maybe it was "people trying to control the president" instead. Around the same time, a film called The Clinton Chronicles started making the rounds. It was produced by a group called Citizens for Honest Government and heavily promoted by televangelist Jerry Falwell.
The documentary featured a guy named Larry Nichols. He was a former Arkansas state employee who’d been fired by Bill Clinton and, well, he had an axe to grind. Nichols claimed on camera that he’d been a hitman for the Clintons. Years later, he backed off those claims, but the damage was done. The VHS tape sold over 150,000 copies. In 1994, that was a massive "viral" hit.
The Case of Vince Foster: The Theory’s Ground Zero
If there is one name that defines this whole narrative, it’s Vince Foster. He was a childhood friend of Bill’s and a partner at the Rose Law Firm with Hillary. When Bill became president, Foster followed them to D.C. to serve as deputy White House counsel. On July 20, 1993, his body was found in Fort Marcy Park.
It was a tragedy. Official investigations—and there were five of them, including one by Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr (who was definitely no friend to the Clintons)—all concluded the same thing: it was a suicide triggered by clinical depression. But for theorists, the "facts" didn't add up. They pointed to the lack of blood at the scene or the "mysterious" way his resignation letter was found shredded in a briefcase later. These details became the building blocks for the Clinton body count legend.
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Breaking Down the Names on the List
The list isn't just one type of person. It's a weird mix of close associates, random acquaintances, and people who happen to live in the same zip code. Let’s look at how these names usually end up there.
- The Arkansas Connection: Early names like Don Henry and Kevin Ives (the "boys on the tracks") were teenagers who died in 1987. Theories suggest they saw a drug drop at the Mena Airport. While their deaths were eventually ruled homicides, there’s never been a shred of evidence linking the Governor's office to the crime.
- The Plane Crashes: This is a big category. C. Victor Raiser II, a finance co-chair, died in a crash in Alaska in 1992. Commerce Secretary Ron Brown died in a crash in Croatia in 1996. Because these were high-profile people with "inside" info, theorists assume the mechanical failures weren't accidents.
- The Modern Additions: The list didn't stop in the 90s. When Jeffrey Epstein died in his cell in 2019, the hashtag #ClintonBodyCount trended almost instantly. Even though Trump was the sitting president at the time and the jail was under his administration's DOJ, the old narrative was too strong to ignore.
Why the Math Doesn't Quite Work
Think about the circle of people a President knows. It’s huge. If you’ve been in public life for 40 years, you’ve met thousands of staffers, donors, lawyers, and security guards. Actuaries will tell you that in a group of 10,000 people over 30 years, a certain number will unfortunately die of heart attacks, accidents, or suicide.
Snopes and other fact-checkers have pointed out that "body counts" actually exist for most presidents if you look hard enough. There’s a "Bush Body Count" and a "Trump Body Count" too. It’s a statistical inevitability being rebranded as a sinister plot.
Why We Can't Let Go of the Narrative
So, why does the Clinton body count still matter in 2026? Part of it is the "Ice Queen" trope often projected onto Hillary Clinton. Critics have long painted her as a ruthless, power-hungry figure, which makes the idea of "ordering hits" feel like a plot point from a political thriller people want to believe.
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It’s also about trust. When trust in government drops, conspiracy theories rise to fill the gap. They provide a simple—albeit dark—explanation for why things happen. Instead of a complex world of random accidents and mental health struggles, you have a villain. It’s easier to process.
Actionable Insights: How to Navigate These Claims
When you run into a new name added to the Clinton body count, don't just take the meme at face value. Here is how to actually vet the info:
- Check the proximity. Did the person actually know the Clintons, or were they a "friend of a friend of a former intern"?
- Look for the autopsy. Most "suspicious" deaths on these lists have public coroner reports or NTSB findings. Read the primary source, not the summary on a blog.
- Identify the source. Is the claim coming from a verified investigative report, or is it a "re-surfaced" claim from the 1994 Clinton Chronicles? A lot of this stuff is just recycled 30-year-old footage.
- Consider the "Who Benefits?" factor. Usually, these theories peak right before elections or book launches.
Basically, the Clinton body count is a piece of American folklore at this point. It tells us more about our political divisions and our fascination with the "corridors of power" than it does about any actual crimes. Understanding the history of the list helps you see the patterns—not of a murder plot, but of how a rumor becomes an institution.
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To get a clearer picture of how these narratives form, start by reading the 1994 Congressional Record entries regarding Linda Thompson's testimony. It’s a fascinating look at the exact moment a fringe theory entered the halls of government. From there, compare the official NTSB reports on the Ron Brown or Victor Raiser crashes against the claims made in 90s documentaries to see where the "facts" began to diverge.