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Politics : Clinton's Scandals: Is this corruption the worst ever? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Who, me? who wrote (7345)	9/29/1998 1:49:00 PM
From: Capt	Respond to of 13994

Senate leader cites 'bad conduct' as grounds for impeachment 1.34 p.m. ET (1734 GMT) September 29, 1998 By Laurie Kellman, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — "Bad conduct'' that brings the presidency into disrepute is enough for impeachment, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott said today. But he refused to say whether President Clinton's affair with a former intern meets that standard. "I don't want to pass judgment on that or answer that question,'' Lott replied, saying the decision would depend on additional facts. But, he allowed, "It may be.'' The Senate Republican leader said that perjury and obstruction of justice — two of the principal allegations against Clinton by Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr — would be grounds for impeachment. "I think bad conduct is enough, frankly, for impeachment,'' said Lott. "If you have brought disrepute on the office, that is sufficient.'' Democrats say defining impeachable offenses before the House launches an inquiry into Clinton's conduct is vital to fair proceedings. As the last evidence from Starr is readied for public release this week, Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee are aiming for a show of good will with Democrats in advance of next week's vote on an impeachment inquiry. "We are trying to accommodate them,'' the committee's chairman, Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill., told reporters Monday, saying he was considering granting such Democratic demands as the power to subpoena witnesses and documents concerning the Monica Lewinsky affair. At the White House on Monday, spokesman Mike McCurry said officials were waiting to see if Hyde followed up on his promises. "Certainly actions are more important than words,'' McCurry said. "But the reassurances given by the chairman today were welcome.'' Committee Democrats said Hyde has established a pattern of rigging the process against Clinton by releasing tapes and transcripts Starr submitted to Congress without allowing the White House a first look. The final batch of 3,000 to 5,000 pages submitted by the independent counsel went to the Government Printing Office on Monday and is expected to be made public in two volumes as early as Thursday. A committee source familiar with the material said it includes transcripts of key grand jury testimony from Clinton's personal secretary, Betty Currie; Clinton's friend, Vernon Jordan; and White House Secret Service agents. The material also reportedly includes transcripts of taped conversations between Ms. Lewinsky and her former friend, Linda Tripp. The committee has blacked out portions of those transcripts to eliminate references to third parties not relevant to the investigation. The tapes themselves are expected to be released when they are edited to match the transcripts, the official said. Democrats complain that Republicans already have decided Starr submitted enough evidence to warrant an impeachment inquiry before the panel has defined which offenses warrant a president's removal. "There is no genuine bipartisan conversation yet,'' said Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass. Hyde acknowledged that he sees enough evidence to warrant a full-blown inquiry and strongly suggested expanding the probe beyond Clinton's affair with Ms. Lewinsky and an alleged cover-up. But with opinion polls indicating sentiment against a lengthy investigation, Hyde announced several efforts to appease Democrats — the strongest signal yet that the panel was moving toward the first impeachment proceedings against a president in 24 years. Hyde particularly bristled at Democratic complaints that he has been unfair. He said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., made "wildly unfair and inaccurate comments'' about the quantity of supplies and office space he granted for committee Democrats. "I just really resent it,'' Hyde said. Feinstein later defended her comments. Other Democrats also have complained of unfairness. "If there's a sense, it's based on misinformation and based on spin, because that's all the Democrats have to talk about,'' Hyde replied. "We are doing our level best to be credible. If we aren't credible, what we do amounts to nothing.'' To that end, Hyde announced what one GOP staffer later described as "gestures of good will'' to Democrats as the two sides negotiate the terms of any impeachment inquiry. For example, Hyde said, he was considering giving ranking Democrat John Conyers of Michigan the same subpoena power he would hold during impeachment proceedings. Hyde also said the panel's lead Democratic and Republican investigators would meet with Starr's office within a week to go over additional documents that the independent counsel left out of his report to Congress this month because, he said, they were irrelevant. Democrats say the documents may include material that would help Clinton's case. "The Democrats want to see what's over there. They have a lurking suspicion that there may be exculpatory material, and so we are going to accommodate them,'' Hyde said. Hyde also said he has directed his panel's subcommittee on the constitution to hold a hearing as soon as possible to define impeachable offenses, an action Democrats have said was vital before proceedings commence.

To: Who, me? who wrote (7345)	9/29/1998 4:05:00 PM
From: Les H	Respond to of 13994

Clinton Compares Himself to Clarence Thomas 24 September, 1998 By Ben Anderson CNS Staff Writer (CNS) President Clinton reached back to the 1991 confirmation hearings of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to explain why he refused to give a "yes" or "no" answer in his video-taped testimony. During the four hour and three minute testimony, Independent Counsel staff attorney Sol Wisenberg asked President Clinton, "If Monica Lewinsky has stated that her affidavit that she didn't have a sexual relationship with you is, in fact, a lie, I take it you disagree with that?" Clinton then lead into his longstanding claim of what he believes is the definition of a sexual relationship. Eventually, though, he made reference to a scenario where both parties on two sides of a story each believe they are telling the truth. Clinton said "I searched my own memory" when reflecting on the situation. "This reminds me, to some extent, of the hearings when Clarence Thomas and Anita Hill were both testifying under oath. Now, in some rational way, they could not have both been telling the truth, since they had directly different accounts of a shared set of facts." President Clinton wasted little time even during his testimony to blame the independent counsel for his troubles. "Fortunately, or maybe you think unfortunately, there was no special prosecutor to try to go after one or the other of them, to take sides and try to prove one was a liar." Syndicated commentator Armstrong Williams told CNS, "I find it hypocritical that he would invoke Justice Thomas' name. This is such a contradiction for the President to use this scenario since his wife gave Anita Hill the Professor of the Year Award shortly after he was elected President."