WASHINGTON -- The House inched Friday toward a vote to impeach President Clinton, boring ahead despite ongoing U.S. bombing of Iraq and new bombshell revelations of infidelity by GOP Speaker-elect Bob Livingston.Incoming House Speaker Bob Livingston told House Republicans Thursday night, Dec. 17, 1998, that he has "on occasion strayed from my marriage."Associated Press
As debate began, a few more moderates announced they will vote to impeach, nudging Republicans closer to the majority needed to order a Senate trial on whether to remove Clinton for lying, abusing power and obstructing justice to hide an affair with an intern.Debate was scheduled to last until 10 p.m. (EST) and resume for an hour Saturday before the final vote.
The House has impeached a president only one other time. Andrew Johnson was tried by the Senate in 1868 and acquitted by one vote. He had ignored a tenure-in-office law to fire his secretary of war without congressional permission.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde, R-Ill., opened the debate Friday saying, "The question before this house is rather simple. It's not a question of sex. Sexual misconduct and adultery are private acts and are none of Congress's business. It's not even a question of lying about sex.
"The matter before the House is a matter of lying under oath. This is a public act. This is not a private act. This is called perjury," he said. "Perjury and obstruction of justice cannot be reconciled with the office of the president of the United States."
Hyde added, "The personal fate of the president is not the issue. The political fate of his party is not the issue. The Dow Jones industrial average is not the issue. The issue is perjury."
Democrats contended that Clinton's mistakes are not serious enough for impeachment.
For example, Rep. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., argued, "I believe the president's actions were reprehensible and worthy of condemnation, but the clearest, most appropriate way to send the message about the president's behavior is censure."
Democrats also blasted Republicans for proceeding while attacks in Iraq are under way and for not allowing a direct vote on censure. Some also charged hypocrisy by GOP leaders, including Livingston, who disclosed Thursday he has had several affairs.
House Democratic leader Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., said, "This debate is taking place on the wrong day, and we are doing it in the wrong way. . . . The acts of the majority, in my view, show a lack of common sense and decency."
House Democratic Whip David Bonior, D-Mich., even tried to prevent the debate from starting by quickly offering a motion to adjourn "because Americans are fighting abroad." The House defeated that on a 256-183 vote.Rep. Merrill Cook, Utah, speaks on the House floor during impeachment debate.Associated Press
Rep. Martin Frost, D-Texas, also complained that proceeding might convince Saddam Hussein that Americans are split about action against him. "He may resist longer than he otherwise would have and this could result in the loss of American lives."
Utah's members of Congress -- all Republicans -- scoffed at such arguments. "We have elections during wars," said Rep. Jim Hansen, R-Utah. "I've had calls from a lot of active-duty military people saying the worse thing we can do is change our normal business."
Rep. Merrill Cook, R-Utah, added, "I was opposed to the initial delay (of one day on Thursday). Delaying sends the signal that we cannot both deal with our political problems and lead out in world security. That's simply not all true."
Among Democrats charging Republicans with hypocrisy was Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., who complained about Livingston (whose affairs were disclosed on the eve of impeachment votes) and Hyde (disclosed as his committee began impeachment hearings).
"I don't understand how they can disassociate themselves with the oath they take . . . that they will be faithful to the people they marry and somehow try and make President Clinton's indiscretions worse than theirs," she said. "The hypocrisy is absolutely stunning."
Rep. Barney Frank, R-Mass., added in debate, "This house is launched on an historically tragic case of selective moralizing," and said Clinton's misstatements were no worse than those of outgoing House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who was censured last year.
Meanwhile, Utah's Republican members of the House defended Livingston and said Republicans are not hypocrites.
Cook said, "Livingston yesterday made a very important distinction between his situation and President Clinton's. He never lied to a grand jury. He didn't lie in a sworn deposition. This impeachment process is not about sexual misconduct, it's about perjury."
Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, added, "While I certainly don't condone Livingston's personal behavior, he never lied about it under oath nor used the power of his office to hide it."
He also accused Democrats of using a "scorched earth" policy to attack critics of Clinton. "They intend to distract attention away from the president," he said. "But thus far, none of the scorched earth victims has been accused of perjury or obstruction of justice."
Meanwhile in Utah, state Democratic Party Chairwoman Meg Holbrook says she finds it difficult to believe impeachment is proceeding while "our brave men and women from Hill Air Force Base" are fighting over Iraq.
"Why can't they wait until Monday to railroad the president into the train station of impeachment?" she said. She said she also doubted that Livingston would have told the truth about his affairs if questioned under oath about them.
Holbrook said, "The Republicans have set a new constitutional standard for impeachment" and one she said Americans would regret.
Deseret News political editor Bob Bernick Jr. contributed to this report.