[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 153 (Thursday, December 17, 1998)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D1210-D1211]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY
Committee on the Judiciary: On December 12, the Committee concluded 
consideration of a proposed resolution containing articles of 
impeachment against President Clinton and took the following action:
  Adopted article IV, as amended, abuse of power, by a vote of 21-16.
  Failed to adopt a proposed joint resolution expressing the sense of 
Congress with respect to censuring the President, by a vote of 22 to 14 
and with 1 voting present.
  Committee adjourned subject to call.
  On December 11, the Committee concluded debate on and took the 
following action on a proposed resolution containing articles of 
impeachment against President Clinton:
  Adopted article I, as amended, perjury before the grand jury, by a 
vote of 21 to 16;
  Adopted article II, perjury in a civil case, by a vote of 20 to 17; 
and
  Adopted article III, obstruction of justice, by a vote of 21 to 16.
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY
Committee on the Judiciary: On December 10, began debate on a proposed 
resolution containing articles of impeachment against President 
Clinton.
  The Committee also heard final presentations in the Impeachment 
Inquiry by Abbe Lowell, Minority Chief Investigative Counsel and David 
Schippers, Chief Investigative Counsel.
  Prior to the presentations, the Committee met in executive session 
and approved a motion to release certain documents necessary for the 
presentations.
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY
Committee on the Judiciary: On December 9, the Committee continued 
hearings in the Impeachment Inquiry pursuant to H. Res. 581. Testimony 
was heard on Prosecutorial Standards for Obstruction of Justice and 
Perjury. Testimony was heard from Thomas P. Sullivan, former U.S. 
Attorney, Northern District of Illinois; Richard J. Davis, Weil, 
Gotschal and Manges; Edward S.G. Dennis, Jr., Morgan, Lewis and 
Bockius; William Weld, former Governor of Massachusetts; and Prof. 
Ronald Noble, Professor of Law, New York University Law School.
  The Committee also heard testimony in the Impeachment Inquiry from 
Charles F.C. Ruff, Counsel to the President.
  On December 8, the Committee continued hearings in the Impeachment 
Inquiry pursuant to H. Res. 581, authorizing and directing the 
Committee on the Judiciary to investigate whether sufficient grounds 
exist for the impeachment of William Jefferson Clinton, President of 
the United States. Testimony was heard on Historical Precedents and 
Constitutional Standards, Abuse of Power, and How to Evaluate Evidence. 
The Committee heard testimony from Gregory B. Craig, Assistant to the 
President and Special Counsel; Nicholas Katzenbach, former Attorney 
General; Prof. Bruce Ackerman, Sterling Professor of Law and Political 
Science, Yale University; Prof. Sean Wilentz, The Dayton Stockton 
Professor of History, Princeton University; Prof. Samuel H. Beer, Eaton 
Professor of the Science of Government Emeritus, Harvard University; 
former Representative Elizabeth Holtzman of New York; former 
Representative Robert J. Drinan, S.J., of Massachusetts; former 
Representative Wayne Owens of Utah; James Hamilton, Swidler, Berlin, 
Shereff and Firedman; and Richard Ben-Veniste, former Assistant 
Attorney General.
CONSEQUENCES OF PERJURY AND RELATED CRIMES
Committee on the Judiciary: On December 1, the Committee held an 
oversight hearing on the Consequences of Perjury and Related Crimes. 
Testimony was heard from Gerald B. Tjoflat, U.S. Circuit Judge, U.S. 
Courts of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit; Charles E. Wiggins, U.S. Circuit 
Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit; A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr., 
former Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit; Elliot 
Richardson, former Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, 
Secretary of Defense, Attorney General and Secretary of Commerce; Adm. 
Leon A. Edney, USN (Ret.), former Vice Chief of Naval Operations; Lt. 
Gen. Thomas P. Carney, USA, (Ret.), former Deputy Chief of Staff, 
Personnel; Prof. Alan Dershowitz, Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, 
Harvard Law School; the following Professors from George Washington 
University Law School: Prof. Stephen Saltzburg, Howrey Professor of 
Trial Advocacy, Litigation, and Professional Responsibility and Prof. 
Jeffrey Rosen, Associate Professor of Law; Pam Parsons, Atlanta, 
Georgia; and Barbara Battalino, Los Osos, California.
  The Committee also approved the issuance of subpoenas for depositions 
and materials.
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY
Committee on the Judiciary: On November 19, the Committee held a 
hearing in the Impeachment Inquiry pursuant to H. Res. 581, authorizing 
and directing the Committee on the Judiciary to investigate whether 
sufficient grounds exist for the impeachment of William Jefferson 
Clinton, President of the United States. Testimony was heard from 
Kenneth W. Starr, Independent Counsel.

[[Page D1211]]


  The Committee also met in executive session and approved the issuance 
of subpoenas for depositions.
IMPEACHMENT--BACKGROUND AND HISTORY
Committee on the Judiciary: On November 9, the Subcommittee on the 
Constitution held a hearing on ``The Background and History of 
Impeachment''. Testimony was heard from various professors and 
attorneys with background and expertise in constitutional law.
SAVING THE SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM
Committee on Ways and Means: On November 19, the Committee held a 
hearing on Saving the Social Security System. Testimony was heard from 
Senator Gramm; David W. Wilcox, Assistant Secretary, Economic Policy, 
Department of the Treasury; John F. Cogan, former Assistant Secretary, 
Department of Labor and former Deputy Director, OMB; Hertert Stein, 
former Chairman, Council of Economic Advisers; Robert Reischauer, 
former Director, CBO; and Standford G. Ross, Chair, Social Security 
Advisory Board and former Commissioner, SSA and former Public Trustee, 
Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds.


                                 House

  No Committee meetings are scheduled.