[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 142 (Saturday, October 10, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2030]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   AUTHORIZING THE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY TO INVESTIGATE WHETHER 
   SUFFICIENT GROUNDS EXIST FOR THE IMPEACHMENT OF WILLIAM JEFFERSON 
                CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

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                               speech of

                            HON. JERRY LEWIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 8, 1998

  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, the House of Representatives 
will today make one of the most solemn decisions it can make next to a 
declaration of war--whether to proceed with a full congressional 
inquiry into allegations that the President's actions warrant his 
removal from office. A bipartisan majority of the House, including 
members of the President's own political party, will support the 
resolution to hold hearings and further investigate the President's 
conduct.
  The historical significance of today's action does not escape me. 
This is only the third time in our nation's history that Congress has 
voted to proceed with an impeachment inquiry. Today, particularly, I 
feel a burden of responsibility as never before during my years of 
public service.
  Like most Americans, I have weighed very carefully the evidence 
presented thus far by the Independent Counsel. From the very beginning, 
I have wanted to give the President every benefit of the doubt. I have 
wanted to believe that he was telling the truth. But it is now clear 
that he has not been truthful with the American people, with the 
Congress, with his staff, and with his own wife and family.
  No man, not even the President, is above the truth or above the law. 
Each man and woman must be held accountable to the duly established 
laws of the United States. In this matter before us, it is very 
important that the legal process, as outlined in our U.S. Constitution, 
continue to its conclusion. That means that the Congress, and more 
specifically, the House Judiciary Committee, will now hold hearings to 
determine if the President's actions warrant his impeachment.
  The time this investigation has taken, and the toll it has taken on 
our country, is a direct result of the President's efforts to deny the 
truth and delay the process. He could have--and should have--told the 
truth from the very beginning but instead he chose repeatedly to lie. 
Anyone who has served in a court proceeding knows the significance of 
taking an oath to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the 
truth. A violation of that oath is perjury. It is now evident that the 
President has lied under oath. To maintain the fundamental integrity of 
our system of government, he must be held accountable for his actions.
  These actions have not taken place in a vacuum. From the Oval Office 
to the President's Cabinet, the President has had a dramatic effect 
upon our responsibilities at home and abroad. While it is still too 
early to predict the outcome of this crisis, one thing has become 
increasingly clear: by his own evasion of the truth, the President's 
effectiveness and the standing of the United States throughout the 
world has been severely diminished.
  Meanwhile, the work of this Congress is continuing. While the media 
is focused primarily on the Judiciary Committee's work, Congress 
continues to address the enormous challenges facing our country and the 
world. The United States now faces enormous tests on both the domestic 
and world stage--terrorist bombings, of our embassies, Saddam Hussein 
thumbing his nose at UN inspections, North Korea's development of 
nuclear weapons, and an increasingly fragile peace in Northern Ireland. 
Closer to home, we are addressing real challenges before us--the future 
of Social Security, improving education, reducing taxes on American 
families, and averting a government shutdown.
  In closing, President Clinton's careful and calculated legal response 
has not served him or our country well. This is a sad day in our 
nation's history. The President and the President alone bear full 
responsibility for the action Congress is taking today. We must move 
forward with this process. In encourage our Members to support the 
Committee's resolution.

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