P.T., re Starr may or may not indict a sitting president, but the OIC will surely indict Clinton as soon as he leaves office...
I don't think it works that way re the OIC vs. Clinton. Because Clinton is the President, Starr's job as IC is done after he submits the report to Congress. Then it is the Congress' baby. If, after a review of the report, the House finds "high crimes and misdemeanors", they send the matter to the Senate, where a "criminal" trial is held. The Senate can then vote to impeach the President (i.e. tar and feather him and ride him out of town on a rail.)
After that, unless the crimes are truly egregious in nature (i.e. murder, mayhem, high treason, drug running, etc), the incoming President will issue a Presidential pardon to insulate the outgoing President from further punishment. The incoming President would be the former President's VP, of course.
For practical everyday purposes, the President is above the law, and can perpetrate all manner of outrages and yet get away with it. Hence, the impeachment clause is the safety valve for when Congress can say, "Enough is enough. Be gone from here." |
