Clinton Trial in the United States

Impeachment History: The Clinton Trial

Introduction to Clinton Trial

In January 1998 independent counsel Kenneth Starr began investigating allegations that President Bill Clinton had lied under oath to conceal a sexual relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. In September 1998 Starr released a voluminous report and referred 11 possible grounds for the president’s impeachment to the House of Representatives. Starr charged Clinton with obstruction of justice, lying under oath (perjury), witness tampering, and abuse of power. The House of Representatives passed two articles of impeachment against Clinton in December 1998, perjury and obstruction of justice, by votes of 228 to 206 and 221 to 212. Following a monthlong trial, the Senate rejected both articles of impeachment in February 1999. Both Senate votes fell considerably short of the two-thirds majority required to convict (67 votes). The first article of impeachment, alleging perjury, was defeated by a vote of 45 for impeachment and 55 against. The second article, charging Clinton with obstruction of justice, failed in a 50-50 tie vote.

The impeachment proceedings against Clinton were highly politicized, with almost all Democrats supporting the president and almost all Republicans opposing him. This imbalance made it difficult to conclude that Clinton’s impeachment was an impartial process. The president’s defenders argued that lying about sex is a private matter and not an abuse of governmental authority. However, Clinton’s detractors believed that he had violated the law and that by misleading the American public, he had undermined the integrity of his office.” (1)

Resources

Notes and References

• Information about Clinton Trial in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia

Guide to Clinton Trial