Last week President Clinton tried to stay focused on his work. He welcomed Middle East leaders to peace talks in Maryland. He announced new plans to improve school safety. He worked with Congress and got a budget passed.
But it must have been hard for him to concentrate. Just one week earlier, the House of Representatives voted to hold an impeachment inquiry. That means a committee of the House will investigate whether Clinton has committed serious crimes (see A Troubling Report 9/18). The investigation could lead to a trial in the Senate. If the President is found guilty, he could be removed from office.
A Year That Will Go Down In History
Only two other Presidents in history have faced this threat. Andrew Johnson, who was President from 1865 to 1869, was impeached. But he escaped being thrown out of office by one vote! Richard Nixon, President from 1969 to 1974, left office rather than face an impeachment trial.
The U.S. Constitution allows Congress to remove a President from office if it finds him guilty of "high crimes and misdemeanors." But the Constitution doesn't spell out what that means.
Kenneth Starr, a lawyer chosen by the government, has spent years investigating the President. In a report to the House, Starr claims that Clinton lied while under oath about an inappropriate relationship with a former White House worker. Starr also accuses the President of interfering with his investigation, which is illegal, and encouraging other people to lie under oath. Clinton admits his relationship was wrong but says he did nothing illegal.
Now it's the job of the 37 members of the House Judiciary Committee to look into these troubling charges. "It is a miserable, rotten duty, but we've got to do it," says Henry Hyde, chairman of the committee.
Hyde is well aware that many Americans are tired of investigations of the President. In a New York Times/CBS News poll released last week, 63% said they approve of the way the President is doing his job. But it's members of Congress who will decide what comes next for Clinton. Hyde says his goal is "completing the inquiry by the end of the year."