BEGINNING OF THE END? HOUSE OKS CLINTON IMPEACHMENT PROBE.Byline: Robert A. Rankin and Raja Mishra Knight Ridder
Knight Ridder (IPA: /ˈrɪdɚ/) was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. Newspapers For only the third time in U.S. history, the House of Representatives voted Thursday to open a formal inquiry into whether to impeach To accuse; to charge a liability upon; to sue. To dispute, disparage, deny, or contradict; as in to impeach a judgment or decree, or impeach a witness; or as used in the rule that a jury cannot impeach its verdict. the president, putting Bill Clinton uniquely in the company of Andrew Johnson and Richard Nixon. The House split largely along partisan lines, 258-176, with only 31 Democrats joining the GOP majority and no Republicans breaking ranks. One Republican, Jay Dickey Jay W. Dickey, Jr. (born December 14, 1939), is a former U.S. Representative from the Fourth Congressional District of Arkansas. He served in Congress from 1993 to 2000. The Dickey Amendment, which prohibits federal funds to be spent on research that involves the destruction of a of Arkansas, voted with Democrats in a preliminary bid to limit the inquiry's scope, which lost 236-198. The decisive vote did not judge Clinton. It only authorized the Judiciary Committee Judiciary Committee may refer to:
The inquiry's scope is unlimited, although the panel will not begin public work until after the Nov. 3 congressional elections - an event that cast pervasive influence over this debate, for Clinton's scandal dominates the nation's politics. For days, the White House has been urging Democrats to stick together and oppose the unlimited hearings envisioned by Republicans and approved Monday by the House Judiciary Committee. The party-line vote A party-line vote in a constituent assembly (such as a parliament or house of representatives) is a decision based upon political party affiliation, generally somewhat independent of the merits of the issue at hand or the political beliefs of individual members but instead dictated likely will do little to silence Democrats who complain the impeachment impeachment, formal accusation issued by a legislature against a public official charged with crime or other serious misconduct. In a looser sense the term is sometimes applied also to the trial by the legislature that may follow. inquiry is a partisan attack on the president. Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde, R-Ill., left open the possibility of investigating other Clinton controversies, including the Whitewater real-estate imbroglio im·bro·glio n. pl. im·bro·glios 1. a. A difficult or intricate situation; an entanglement. b. A confused or complicated disagreement. 2. A confused heap; a tangle. from Clinton's Arkansas past, the 1993 firings of the White House Travel Office staff, the improper White House examination of FBI files, questionable Democratic campaign-finance practices during the 1996 election cycle or anything else that Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr might suggest. Starr sent Hyde and ranking committee Democrat John Conyers of Michigan a note Wednesday night saying he did not ``foreclose fore·close v. fore·closed, fore·clos·ing, fore·clos·es v.tr. 1. a. To deprive (a mortgagor) of the right to redeem mortgaged property, as when payments have not been made. b. the possibility'' of referring new material about Clinton on unspecified topics. Lacking in drama While historic for its rarity, the House debate was rarely passionate and never dramatic. Its result was a foregone conclusion, as a GOP majority was never in doubt. Moreover, this was but one more procedural step along a well-worn path of controversy that already has stretched more than nine months. Finally, it would take 67 votes to convict Clinton in the Senate, and few analysts believe that is remotely likely at this time. ``What's at stake here is the rule of law. Even the president of the United States The head of the Executive Branch, one of the three branches of the federal government. The U.S. Constitution sets relatively strict requirements about who may serve as president and for how long. does not have the right to break the law,'' said Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., a member of the Judiciary Committee, summing up the prevailing GOP view. `I have surrendered' For his part, after the vote, Clinton said: ``I am fine. . . . I have surrendered this. This is beyond my control.'' Facing reporters before a budget meeting, Clinton said, ``I hope that we can now move forward with this process in a way that is fair, that is constitutional and that is timely. The American people have been through a lot on this, and I think that everyone deserves that. ``I trust the American people. They almost always get it right now for 220 years. And I'm working in a way that I hope will restore their trust in me by working for things that our country needs. ``Beyond that, I have nothing to say. It is not in my hands, it is in the hands of Congress and the people of this country, ultimately in the hands of God  This article or section may be confusing or unclear for some readers.Please [improve the article] or discuss this issue on the talk page. .'' As for the committee, it now must decide what evidence it needs, what witnesses to call and generally how to proceed. The next partisan sticking point will come when the committee decides whether to call Starr as a witness. Democrats insist that his motives and investigative techniques are proper areas of inquiry. Republicans maintain that Democrats simply want Starr to divert attention from the president. In the end, the 21 Republicans and 16 Democrats on the committee must determine whether the president's actions meet the constitutional impeachment standard of ``bribery, treason, and other high crimes and misdemeanors The offenses for which presidents, vice presidents, and all civil officers, including federal judges, can be removed from office through a process called Impeachment. The phrase high crimes and misdemeanors is found in the U.S. Constitution. .'' If a majority agrees they do, then the entire House must vote on articles of impeachment Formal written allegations of the causes that warrant the criminal trial of a public official before a quasi-political court. In cases of Impeachment, involving the president, vice president, or other federal officers, the House of Representatives prepares the articles of - essentially an indictment against the president. A majority vote there would trigger what would be a momentous trial: 100 senators as jury, Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist as judge and the president of the United States as defendant. ``This issue has the potential to be the most divisive issue in American life since the Vietnam War Vietnam War, conflict in Southeast Asia, primarily fought in South Vietnam between government forces aided by the United States and guerrilla forces aided by North Vietnam. ,'' warned Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., a member of the Judiciary Committee. Attempt to limit inquiry During the debate, Democrats pressed with occasional flashes of anger to end the inquiry by New Year's Day New Year's Day, among ancient peoples the first day of the year frequently corresponded to the vernal or autumnal equinox, or to the summer or winter solstice. In the Middle Ages it was celebrated among Christians usually on Mar. 25. , to avoid ``an open-ended fishing expedition'' by limiting its scope to the Lewinsky affair and to define Clinton's behavior, however deplorable, as less than impeachable im·peach·a·ble adj. 1. Capable of being impeached: venal, impeachable public servants. 2. Being such as to warrant impeachment: an impeachable offense. . ``We believe deeply that, for the good of the country and the good of our people, this must be done by the end of this year, before there's a new Congress,'' stressed Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, D-Mo. Republicans, secure in their assured majority, soberly insisted they aim only to hold Clinton accountable to the rule of law. ``I don't want this to go one day longer than it has to,'' Hyde said, but he argued it would be irresponsible to set an arbitrary time limit on the inquiry. ``This is not about sexual misconduct sexual misconduct Professional ethics Any behavior that violates a health professional's ethics through sexual contact of physician and his/her Pt. See Professional boundaries. any more than Watergate was about a third-rate burglary attempt,'' Hyde added. ``Now, lying under oath Noun 1. lying under oath - criminal offense of making false statements under oath bearing false witness, perjury infraction, misdemeanor, misdemeanour, violation, infringement - a crime less serious than a felony is either important, or it isn't. . . . This has not anything to do with sex; it has a lot to do with suborning perjury perjury (pûr`jərē), in criminal law, the act of willfully and knowingly stating a falsehood under oath or under affirmation in judicial or administrative proceedings. , tampering with witnesses, obstructing justice and perjury, all of which impact on our Constitution and our system of justice and the kind of country we are.'' Thirty-one Democrats joined the Republican majority in voting for the open-ended inquiry. Many of those Democrats are from conservative districts or are facing tough re-elections back home. Most, however, downplayed the role of politics in their decisions. Dennis Kucinich, a first-term Democrat from Cleveland, said his vote for the Republican resolution was a difficult one. He took that position, he said, because ``there is a sense today we needed to take a stand on behalf of an inquiry.'' It's up to Republicans Like other Democratic defectors, Kucinich said the onus now is on the Republicans to ensure fair hearings. ``The responsibility now lies with the majority to conduct a fair and impartial inquiry that gets to the facts and doesn't turn into a witch hunt,'' he said. At times, the partisan bitterness flashed heatedly. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, noted pointedly that House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., had been censured and fined by the House last year for submitting inaccurate statements to congressional ethics investigators examining his tax-exempt activities. ``We all agree that lying was wrong, but why the double standard?'' Pelosi demanded. Rep. Bob Barr, R-Ga., who long has called for Clinton's impeachment, read aloud from a report drafted by Hillary Rodham Rodham is an English surname which may refer to a number of persons or places. People Family of Hillary Rodham Clinton
One moment of gallows humor gallows humor, n a dark or morbid sense of humor unique to people who deal with suffering and tragedy—for example, patients who are terminally ill joking about their illness or death as a means of coping with the illness. occurred when Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y., moved to adjourn adjourn v. the final closing of a meeting, such as a convention, a meeting of the board of directors, or any official gathering. It should not be confused with a recess, meaning the meeting will break and then continue at a later time. (See: recess, session) the proceedings to ``Salem,'' the Massachusetts site of 17th century witch trials. With a slight smile, Gingrich ruled the motion out of order. The House chamber was half-empty until minutes before the final vote, and most speeches seemed designed less to persuade than to create a record that might make a campaign-ad clip. Politics was never far from lawmakers' minds. ``Republicans want to do what they could not do in an election - defeat Bill Clinton,'' said Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga. ``Well, I have news for you: The American people are watching. Beware the wrath of the American people, Mr. Speaker. Beware.'' Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., said Republicans were trying to ``hound'' Clinton out of office because ``it's the only thing they have to take to the American people before this election. What else are you going to take? Your legislative record?'' Rangel demanded with scathing sarcasm, accusing Republicans of failing to achieve anything of note. WHAT'S NEXT House Judiciary Committee staffers will begin immediately to gather information, request interviews with potential witnesses and prepare for public hearings. A Judiciary subcommittee will meet Oct. 22 to debate what is an impeachable offense. Other than that, little public action is expected until after the Nov. 3 congressional elections. Formal hearings will begin after the elections. The witness list likely would include top Clinton aide Bruce Lindsey, Monica Lewinsky and, possibly, Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr. The 105th Congress will cease to exist Jan. 3, 1999. If warranted, the drafting of articles of impeachment probably would be done by the 106th Congress. If a majority of the House votes to impeach the president, a trial would be conducted in the Senate, with Chief Justice William Rehnquist presiding. It would take a two-thirds vote of the Senate to remove the president from office. - Cox News Service CAPTION(S): 6 photos, box PHOTO (1 -- color) A tight-lipped tight·lipped also tight-lipped adj. 1. Having the lips pressed together. 2. Loath to speak; close-mouthed. See Synonyms at silent. President Clinton listens to reporters' questions Thursday during a meeting with Vice President Al Gore and his economic team. Greg Gibson/Associated Press (2) Henry Hyde, R-Ill., House Judiciary Committee chairman, speaks before a vote on an impeachment inquiry against the president. Associated Press/C-SPAN (3 -- color) Newt Gingrich (4 -- color) Lindsey (5 -- color) Lewinsky (6 -- color) Starr Box: What's next (see text) |
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