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Judiciary Committee gives White House two days to defend Clinton
December 7, 1998
11:05 a.m. ET
WASHINGTON (Court TV) — Warning against delay tactics that could stretch the impeachment inquiry beyond year's end, the House Judiciary Committee gave President Clinton's attorneys two days to defend the president against impeachment charges.
With the Judiciary Committee looking to vote on articles of impeachment this Friday, House Judiciary chairman Henry Hyde seemed determined to realize his goal of completing the presidential impeachment inquiry by the New Year. In a letter to President Clinton's lawyers, Judiciary chief of staff Thomas Mooney indicated that the House was determined to meet its deadline.
Read the letter from Mooney.
"The committee will not undermine its goal of resolving the inquiry this year," Mooney wrote.
The White House requested four days to present the president's case, but Hyde initially offered Clinton's lawyers only one day. Although disappointed that Clinton's defense will only be two days, White House spokesman Jim Kennedy vowed that the president's attorneys will work hard to overcome their restrictions.
"Our request for just four days has now been cut in half," Kennedy said. "Nevertheless, we will work to defend the president, despite these restrictions."
The Committee will work on an extended schedule, however, and plans to allow the White House counsels from 9 a.m. to midnight on Tuesday and Wednesday to present their case.
Not surprisingly, Kennedy also pointed out that Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr had spent four years and $40 million investigating the president while the committee had taken four months to consider impeachment charges.
Democratic and Republican chief counsels would make their closing arguments on Thursday. The committee would consider the articles of impeachment late Thursday and Friday.
A very partisan House Judiciary Committee seems likely to approve sending at least one article of impeachment up to a full House vote. In addition to focusing on perjury charges against Clinton for his denial of a sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky in the Paula Jones case, GOP committee members are also considering articles of obstruction of justice and abuse of power.
If the Judiciary Committee approves impeachment charges, the full House would then consider the articles next week. Two-thirds of the full Senate would need to vote for impeachment in order to remove Clinton from office, and both Republicans and Democrats say the vote is too close to call right now.
The impeachment inquiry against Clinton seemed to lose momentum after GOP losses in November's mid-term elections. But even Republicans who oppose impeaching Clinton said the president hurt his chances of getting a lesser punishment of censure by not responding more directly to the Judiciary Committee's 81 written questions.
Clinton continued to deny lying under oath, referring mostly to the answers he gave in his deposition Starr's deposition.
"When the president pretty much stiffed the Congress, then I think a number have said, 'No, I may vote for impeachment now,'" Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., said on ABC's This Week. "His answers to the 81 questions were outrageous. He still doesn't get it. He still doesn't tell the truth."
Rep. Peter King, another Republican against impeachment, said that the impeachment inquiry would be defeated if House Majority Whip Tom Delay would allow a Judiciary vote on a censure motion. However, Delay, a leading advocate of impeachment, said that is not likely to happen. On Fox News Sunday, Delay said that censure of Clinton "violates the rules of the House" and is unconstitutional because it "undermines the separation of powers." He also said if the House voted today, President Clinton would be impeached.
As the committee hears final arguments on impeachment, President Clinton is focusing on his presidential duties. He will attend a forum on Social Security on Tuesday and will attend a dinner and accept an award for his peacemaking efforts in Northern Ireland. At the end of the week, as the Judiciary Committee votes on impeachment, the president will board a plane for a weekend trip to the Middle East.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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