Rich's pardon: One of many granted on Clinton's last day as president

Speaking to Newsweek magazine, Mr Clinton said that in hindsight he would not grant the pardon again.

"It was terrible politics. It wasn't worth the damage to my reputation, but that doesn't mean the attacks were true," he said.

The former president also told the magazine that Osama Bin Laden was conspiring to assassinate him.

Controversy

Marc Rich, a commodities trader, is alleged to have evaded more than $48m worth of income taxes and to have illegally bought oil from Iran during the 1979 hostage crisis.

His ex-wife Denise lobbied intensely for his pardon, and the US Attorney's office for New York's southern district is currently investigating whether Mr Rich's pardon, and others, were bought with political donations and personal gifts.

We know... he [Bin Laden] was training people to kill me, which is fair enough - I was trying to get him

Bill Clinton

The controversial decision was one of more than 200 pardons granted by Mr Clinton on his final day in the White House on the 20 January 2001.

Mr Clinton, however, strongly denied that such gifts had any effect on his decision.

"The fact that his ex-wife - I didn't think they got along - was for it [the pardon] and had contributed to my library had nothing to do with it," he told Newsweek. Mr Clinton also denied he knew that his half-brother, Roger Clinton, and brother-in-law Hugh Rodham had acted as paid representatives for people seeking pardons or reduced prison sentences.

"I still don't know what the facts are, except that the evidence is I didn't grant anything (my brother) asked me to grant," he said, adding he was "disappointed" at Mr Rodham's behaviour.

Florida lawyer Mr Rodham lobbied on behalf of two convicted felons, and received $200,000 for each of them after the pardons were granted.

He later returned the money following a request from the Clintons.

Assassination claim

Mr Clinton also said in the interview that wanted fugitive Osama Bin Laden, suspected of ordering the 11 September attacks on America, was conspiring to assassinate him.

"We know... he was training people to kill me," he said.

"Which is fair enough - I was trying to get him."

However, he said that despite strong US military intelligence in autumn 2000 as to Bin Laden's whereabouts, he had decided not to order a military strike, citing possible civilian casualties.

"I felt it would hurt America's interests if we killed lots of Afghan women and children and didn't even get him," he said.