From the archives: Clinton impeachment vote delayed

This story was originally published in Newsday on Dec. 17, 1998

Washington - With the United States launching air strikes against Iraq, the House of Representatives yesterday put off a historic debate and vote on the impeachment of the commander in chief, President Bill Clinton.

For only the second time in American history, the House was to have begun the process of impeaching a president today, and there were strong indications that a majority of House members were ready to impeach Clinton.

Four more moderate Republicans announced yesterday they would go against the president, and one Republican who previously had supported him, Rep. John Porter (R-Ill.), switched sides, saying he would vote to impeach.

But as the bombs fell over Iraq, House Republicans met in closed session and decided to postpone the vote, pending military events overseas. House leaders said the decision on when to resume the impeachment debate would be made day-to-day, and might come as early as tomorrow.

House Speaker-designate Bob Livingston (R-La.) said the House would vote on a resolution today to support the troops in Iraq but would take no action on impeachment.

"We're going to ask that all members remain available to the call of the chair, possibly Friday, possibly Saturday . . . within the near future," Livingston said. "We look with . . . interest at events in the Mideast, reserving our right to move ahead with that action impeachment ."

Rep. Michael Forbes (R-Quogue), who is close to Livingston, said the overwhelming sentiment in the GOP caucus was that "we're going ahead" with impeachment soon.

House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.), who also held a closed meeting with Democrats late yesterday, said members of his party were united in the feeling that impeachment "should not come up as long as our troops are in harm's way."

Livingston's hopes for a quick vote on impeachment could be complicated by the military action. Several congressional experts on foreign affairs said the strike is not intended to be a one-day affair, and would last several days.

"This is no pinprick," said Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.), the highest-ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "It will be sustained. It will be more than one day."

While Republicans said they support the troops, participants in the caucus said many questioned Clinton's motivation and the timing of the attack.

"It was brought up in the caucus that anything is possible for President Clinton," said Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.).

Earlier in the day, moderate Reps. W. J. (Billy) Tauzin (R-La.), Bob Ney (R-Ohio), Jim Leach (R-Iowa) and Sherwood Boehlert (R-New Hartford), one by one, soberly declared they would favor impeachment.

However, Rep. Jay Kim (R-Calif.), who pleaded guilty to accepting illegal campaign donations in 1997, said he was leaning toward opposing impeachment. A Senate trial "is going to be an international embarrassment," he said in a California newspaper interview.

But Porter, who did not indicate why he changed his mind, said he was convinced the president lied under oath about the nature of his relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

"If there are no consequences for the president's conduct, a horrible message would be sent to our children and grandchildren about telling the truth, about taking responsibility for one's actions and about providing an example of leadership and ethical standards for our country," Porter said.

At the White House, Clinton met with Rep. Amo Houghton (R-Corning), who had said he would support the president. After the meeting, Houghton remained solidly in support, but said he was not pressuring others to join him.

A White House meeting with Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), who was wavering in his support, was postponed because of the Iraq attack.

Leach, a leading moderate Republican from a district where 54 percent of the voters supported Clinton in 1996, said no individual is above the law and announced he would vote to impeach Clinton for two counts of perjury.

The House Judiciary Committee last week on a nearly straight party-line vote sent to the full House four articles of impeachment against Clinton, two charging perjury, one charging obstruction of justice and another charging abuse of power. All of the charges stemmed from Clinton's relationship with Lewinsky and his efforts to conceal it.

There was no indication that a delay in the impeachment proceeding would change minds in the House, although the tide has turned several times since Clinton was accused of lying to a federal grand jury. Interest groups on both sides of the impeachment issue were continuing to apply pressure.

The Rainbow Coalition / PUSH, led by the Rev. Jesse Jackson, planned a rally at the Capitol today to oppose impeachment. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Queens), a member of the Congressional Black Caucus that has been solidly in support of Clinton, said members would support the rally, but said he didn't think a delay would make much of a difference in the votes.

Boehlert said voting for an article of impeachment charging that Clinton perjured himself was needed as a "shield to protect the integrity of our institutions."

Without censure on the table, a path rejected by the Judiciary Committee and Livingston, moderate Republicans, who held Clinton's fate in their hands, said they were left with few options.

Still, some members said in the wake of the turning tide, Clinton should not rule out resigning. Leach has not called for Clinton's resignation, but said "an ethical man should give that serious consideration."

Aside from the Houghton meeting, there was little arm-twisting done by the White House and some moderate Republicans said it wouldn't have helped anyway.

"This is something that is non-negotiable . . . My conscience is not a negotiable" item, Boehlert said.

Rep. Porter Goss (R-Fla.) said Congress first priority should be supporting the troops. He said one of the most serious votes a member of Congress can ever cast is to send troops into battle and the other is impeachment.

"So this looks like a serious week," he said.