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Republicans disappointed by Clinton's answers to impeachment questions WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, November 28) -- Republicans were expressing disappointment and even outrage Saturday after viewing President Bill Clinton's written answers to 81 questions put to him by the House Judiciary Committee concerning the Monica Lewinsky affair. In this story:
GOP critics said Clinton's responses were evasive, incomplete and did not offer much of a defense against charges lodged in an impeachment referral from Independent Counsel Ken Starr. "(In) not one of those 81 answers could he bring himself to answer simply 'yes' or 'no,'" said Rep. Bob Barr, a Georgia Republican on the Judiciary Committee who is one of Clinton's harshest critics, in an interview with CNN. "He is so afraid of answering questions directly that even when they asked him about his oath of office, whether he took this particular oath of office, he couldn't simply say 'yes.' He had to explain it in the third person," Barr said. Judiciary Committee member Rep. Asa Hutchinson (R-Arkansas) said Clinton's answers could have been "an opportunity for the president to accept responsibility for any false statements." "That opportunity was declined," said Hutchinson, who is considered to be one of a small number of GOP members on the committee who might possibly break ranks and oppose articles of impeachment.
'Surprise' Clinton hasn't made more vigorous defenseOne top Republican aide, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said that even the smallest admission of wrongdoing by Clinton in his answers would have made it easier for Republican moderates to negotiate an end to the politically unpopular impeachment process. "I detect among (committee members) disappointment and surprise that the president isn't mounting a more vigorous defense," the aide said, adding that without such a defense, articles of impeachment are all but certain to be approved by the committee and reach the House floor. Barr said Clinton's answers "will be used by our staff, our lawyers and our investigators to buttress the case that the president in fact did perjure himself on many occasions."
White House: President in no-win situationHowever, one White House official called the GOP criticism predictable, adding that Clinton was in a no-win situation. While deviating from earlier statements might have given one Republican room to maneuver away from supporting impeachment, "it would have handed eight others something new to hit Clinton over the head with," the official told The Associated Press, on condition of anonymity. A Clinton defender on the Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-New York) said Clinton's answers "as expected told us nothing new." "I thought they were exactly as direct as they could be given the fact that they're ... a legal deposition, and any lawyer will tell any client to be very careful in his answers under oath," Nadler said in an interview with CNN. "I think it reads as any statement under oath would." "Anyone who thought the president should be impeached beforehand will still think so, and anyone who thought the president should not be impeached will think that," Nadler said.
Clinton admits misleading family, staff, countryIn his written answers submitted Friday, Clinton acknowledged once again that he misled his family, his staff, his friends and the American public. But in several responses to 81 questions submitted by Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde three weeks ago, Clinton said his testimony was "not false and misleading." At the same time, he failed to recall many of the significant events in his relationship with Lewinsky, a former White House intern. Asked to admit or deny he spoke with Oval Office secretary Betty Currie about gifts he gave to Lewinsky, Clinton said, "I never told Betty Currie to take possession of gifts I had given Ms. Lewinsky." He also insisted, "I did not tell Ms. Lewinsky to lie, and I did not tell anybody to lie about my relationship with Ms. Lewinsky." Many of the questions asked the president to "admit or deny" specific events or conversations. He usually was not as direct in his answers, and in at least 17 instances said he did not recall or his recollection was uncertain. Clinton preceded his responses with a personal statement, asking for a "speedy and fair resolution" to the matter, which he said "long ago ceased to be primarily a legal or political issue and became instead a painful personal one." Hyde has given Clinton an opportunity to either appear personally before the committee or send a legal representative to appear on his behalf and call witnesses. A tentative date for the appearance was set for December 8. The president's personal lawyer, David Kendall, has indicated he will be sending a memorandum to the committee, which is expected to make a detailed argument that nothing brought before the committee so far rises to the level required to impeach a president. Correspondent Carl Rochelle contributed to this report. |
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