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Clinton impeached on first and third articles as Democrats walk out in protest
Updated December 19, 1998
2:15 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON (Court TV) — President Clinton was impeached Saturday on the first article of impeachment against him by a vote of 228-206, and the third article 221-212, but the House voted against article two 229-205 and article four 285-148.
Article one accuses Clinton of perjury in his grand jury testimony, while article two points to perjury in the Paula Jones case. Article two was the only one to have a Judiciary Committee Republican vote against it, Rep. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
Graham said he gave the president then benefit of the doubt that the false statements Clinton gave under oath during the Paula Jones case were not material.
Article three charges Clinton with obstruction of justice, such as trying to influence the testimony of Betty Currie and Monica Lewinsky. Article four alleged abuse of power by the president.
The passage of the first article came at 1:22 p.m. ET, just after Democrats' last hope of introducing a censure option with a complex use of House rules was defeated Saturday, and the minority party symbolically walked out of the Capitol at the beginning of the vote on the first article of impeachment.
"We are deeply offended by this process, it was partisan and unfair," said House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt. The Democrats spoke to the media briefly and then returned to vote.
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With Richard Gephart and David Bonior in the lead, House Democrats walked out of Saturday's debate.
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President Clinton became only the second president to be impeached by the House on a day which began with a stunning move by Speaker-elect Rep. Bob Livingston.
Livingston, R-La., until recently thought to be incoming speaker of the House, called for Clinton's resignation for the good of the nation and then dramatically announced he would leave office in six months because of his own extramarital affairs.
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Votes on impeachment
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YES |
NO |
| Article I |
228 |
206 |
| Article II |
205 |
228 |
| Article III |
221 |
212 |
| Article IV |
148 |
285 |
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Livingston's announcement came as debate on impeachment finished, and brief debate was allowed on a possible censure vote before Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Ill., who was designated speaker pro tempore by Republican leadership and made responsible for the proceedings, determined that a censure vote would not fit within the rules of the House.
Livingston faced strong vocal opposition from Democrats when he told the president, "you, sir, may resign your post." He then added "I can only challenge you in such fashion if I am able to heed my own words...so I must set the example that I hope that President Clinton will follow. I will not stand as Speaker of the House on January 6."
Livingston left the floor to a standing ovation from both parties. The Louisiana representative announced his marital indiscretions to a Republican caucas Thursday, shortly after he discovered Hustler magazine was investigating his past.
"The president's wish is that Mr. Livingston would reconsider the decision he made today," said White House spokesman Joe Lockhart, who said that Clinton hoped Livingston would not "give in to this insidious politics of personal destruction."
House Majority Whip Tom DeLay said that to him, "there is no greater American than Bob Livingston."
After debate finished, both parties argued a Democratic motion to recommit which introduced a censure resolution.
Gephardt called for the end of attacks on the personal failings of elected officials.
Gephardt, who had to stop his remarks many times because of applause, said Congress must stop sacrificing imperfect people on the altar of an impossible moral standard.
House Judiciary Committee member Charles Canady, R-Fla., made the case for the Republicans that censure was outside the framework of the Constitution and admonished the Democrats for claiming they were unable to vote their conscience.
Canady said that if censure was such a matter of conscience, the Democratic caucus would have already passed a censure resolution against Clinton.
The Republicans then made a point of order that censure was not germane to the original resolution on impeachment, a view that was shared by LaHood.
LaHood's ruling was then appealed by Gephardt, but that appeal was tabled after a 17-minute vote, defeating any hope of censure.
LaHood added that the votes on the articles of impeachment would last for 15 minutes each. He was chosen in part because of his familiarity with House procedures and rules.
Earlier Saturday morning the drama of debate continued as Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, gave a slice of Democrats' time to the leading Republican dissenter, Rep. Christopher Shays of Connecticut. Shays had previously spoken out against impeachment but had said earlier this week he might switch his vote.
"I concluded that my original position was the correct one for me," Shays said as he explained how he reviewed the evidence against Clinton once again and looked at new Judiciary Committee documents. "I concluded that the impeachable offenses were not proven and the proven offenses were not impeachable."
"I cast my vote with no criticism of those who think differently and who will vote differently," Shays added in one of the few conciliatory moments throughout the morning.
First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton visited Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill, as the latest poll of House members Friday indicated that President Clinton will become the second president in the history of the country to be impeached during an expected vote Saturday.
According to reported results from The Associated Press, some 219 representatives will vote to impeach President Clinton on one or more articles of impeachment. 202 members said they would vote against impeachment and 10 said they were undecided.
The first lady came to the Capitol Saturday to meet with the dispirited Democrats, who applauded vigorously as she arrived. Joining her on her visit to the Democratic caucus was White House special counsel Gregory Craig and other White House staffers.
"The first lady was warmly received by all the members of the Democratic caucus," Gephardt said after the meeting. "They told her they feel the process we're following is unfair, because we're not allowed to vote on censure."
House Democrats told her that her husband must not resign, Gephardt said.
Throughout the day and night Friday, Democrats and Republicans passionately, often bitterly, expressed their views on impeachment on the House floor, agreeing only to expand the debate throughout the day and vote Saturday.
Read about Fridays marathon debate
Court TV's Aldina Vazao Kennedy, Kim Khan, Jon Bonné and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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