Clinton's Impeachment: What Laws Were Broken?

On December 19, 1998, Bill Clinton, the 42nd president of the United States, was impeached by the House of Representatives on two charges: perjury to a grand jury and obstruction of justice. The impeachment came after a formal House inquiry, which was launched on October 8, 1998, stemming from a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by Paula Jones, an Arkansas state employee. During the inquiry, Clinton was found to have lied under oath about his sexual relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

Lying under oath

The impeachment of Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States, was approved by the House of Representatives on December 19, 1998, on the grounds of perjury to a grand jury and obstruction of justice. The catalyst for the impeachment was the Starr Report, a September 1998 report prepared by Ken Starr, Independent Counsel, for the House Judiciary Committee. The report included details of a sexual relationship between Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern, and outlined 11 possible grounds for impeachment, including lying under oath.

During the impeachment process, Clinton was specifically charged with perjury in relation to his testimony in a grand jury investigation and in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case. Paula Jones, an Arkansas state employee, had filed a civil suit against Clinton in May 1994, alleging that he sexually harassed her while he was governor of Arkansas. During the discovery process in the Jones case, Clinton gave testimony under oath denying that he had engaged in a sexual relationship with Lewinsky. However, evidence emerged that contradicted Clinton's testimony, including recorded conversations between Lewinsky and a former White House employee, Linda Tripp, as well as Lewinsky's own testimony before the grand jury.

Clinton's defence against the perjury charges was that his testimony in the Jones case was immaterial to the lawsuit and should be dismissed. However, Judge Wright, who presided over the case, expressly held that "contrary to numerous assertions, this Court did not rule that evidence of the Lewinsky matter was irrelevant or immaterial to the issues in the plaintiff's case." Judge Wright further stated that such evidence "might have been relevant to the plaintiff's case" and could be used to establish "intent, absence of mistake, motive, and habit on the part of the President."

Ultimately, the Senate voted on whether to convict Clinton on the charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. On the perjury charge, 45 senators voted to convict, while 55 voted for acquittal. The vote fell short of the required two-thirds majority, and Clinton was acquitted on both counts.

Obstruction of justice

On December 19, 1998, Bill Clinton, the 42nd president of the United States, was impeached by the United States House of Representatives. Two articles of impeachment were adopted against Clinton, one of which was obstruction of justice.

The impeachment proceedings against Clinton were catalysed by the Starr Report, a September 1998 report prepared by Independent Counsel Ken Starr, for the House Judiciary Committee. The report outlined eleven possible grounds for impeachment, including obstruction of justice. The charges for which Clinton was impeached stemmed from a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by Paula Jones, a former Arkansas state employee. During pre-trial discovery in the lawsuit, Clinton gave testimony denying that he had engaged in a sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern.

In January 1998, Clinton denied having a "sexual relationship", "sexual affair", or "sexual relations" with Lewinsky. However, Lewinsky had confided in a co-worker, Linda Tripp, about her sexual relationship with the president. In December 1997, with the relationship over, Tripp began secretly recording conversations with Lewinsky, in which Lewinsky gave her details about the affair. In January 1998, Lewinsky, allegedly under the recommendation of the president, filed an affidavit in which she denied ever having had a sexual relationship with him.

In the Starr Report, it is stated that Clinton "coached" his secretary, Betty Currie, into repeating his denials should she be called to testify. After rumours of the scandal reached the news, Clinton publicly denied the allegations, saying, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky." However, months later, Clinton admitted that his relationship with Lewinsky was "wrong" and "not appropriate". Lewinsky engaged in oral sex with Clinton several times.

On December 11, 1998, the House Judiciary Committee agreed to send four articles of impeachment to the full House for consideration. The vote on two articles, grand jury perjury and obstruction of justice, was 21-17, both along party lines. On December 19, 1998, Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives on grounds of perjury to a grand jury and obstruction of justice.

Perjury

In the case of Bill Clinton, perjury charges were brought against him for lying under oath about his sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern. The charges arose from a civil suit brought against Clinton by Paula Jones, who accused him of sexual harassment. During the case, Clinton denied having a sexual relationship with Lewinsky, but evidence emerged that contradicted his testimony.

In January 1998, Lewinsky filed an affidavit denying a sexual relationship with Clinton, but she was later granted immunity and testified that she and Clinton had been engaged in a sexual relationship. Clinton then admitted to lying under oath.

Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives on December 19, 1998, on grounds of perjury to a grand jury. However, he was acquitted on February 12, 1999, as the Senate failed to achieve a two-thirds majority vote to convict him.

Witness tampering

Bill Clinton, the 42nd president of the United States, was impeached by the House of Representatives on December 19, 1998, on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. The Senate acquitted him on February 12, 1999, and he remained in office for the rest of his second term.

In the lead-up to his impeachment, Clinton was accused of witness tampering, which was detailed in the Starr Report—a September 1998 report prepared by Ken Starr, an Independent Counsel, for the House Judiciary Committee. The report outlined 11 possible grounds for Clinton's impeachment, including witness tampering.

The Starr Report stated that Clinton "coached" Currie to repeat his denials of a sexual relationship with Lewinsky if she were called to testify. This occurred after Clinton gave a sworn deposition on January 17, 1998, in which he denied having a sexual relationship with Lewinsky. The following day, Clinton called Currie at home and asked her to come to the White House, where he allegedly coached her to repeat his denials.

Additionally, Clinton was accused of urging Lewinsky to submit a false affidavit denying their sexual relationship. Lewinsky did file such an affidavit, allegedly under Clinton's recommendation, before later testifying that she and Clinton had indeed had a sexual relationship.

These actions by Clinton were seen as attempts to corruptly influence the testimony of potential witnesses and were, therefore, considered witness tampering.

Abuse of power

The impeachment of Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States, was approved by the House of Representatives on December 19, 1998, on the grounds of perjury to a grand jury and obstruction of justice. However, the article of impeachment for abuse of power was rejected.

The charge of abuse of power was levelled against Clinton due to his alleged attempts to influence the testimony of witnesses in the Paula Jones litigation and the Starr investigation. Paula Jones, an Arkansas state employee, had filed a civil suit against Clinton in May 1994, alleging that he had sexually harassed her in 1991 while he was governor of Arkansas.

During the course of the Jones litigation, evidence emerged of an extramarital affair between Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern. In January 1998, Lewinsky filed an affidavit denying any sexual relationship with Clinton, allegedly under the recommendation of the President. However, Lewinsky later testified before a grand jury that she and Clinton had indeed had a sexual relationship.

Clinton himself also acknowledged the affair to prosecutors, marking the first time a sitting president had testified before a grand jury investigating his conduct. In his televised address to the nation, Clinton admitted to engaging in an inappropriate relationship with Lewinsky and misleading the nation, but he did not admit to perjury or instructing others to lie on his behalf.

The article of impeachment for abuse of power was ultimately rejected by the House, with only one Democrat, Gene Taylor, voting in favour of the charge. The Senate trial, which began in January 1999, resulted in Clinton's acquittal on both articles of impeachment that were approved by the House.

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