President Clinton Impeachment
President Clinton ImpeachmentWe the members of the U.S. Congress’ Judiciary Committee have to make a decision on whether or not to impeach, censure, or take no action against President Clinton for his misconduct while in office. The Constitution provides that the President, Vice President, and all civil officers of the Untied States may be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.” The House may impeach by a majority vote. A two-thirds vote of the senators present is needed for conviction. Congress may decide to censure the president if we believe that the crimes Clinton is accused of are not severe enough for impeachment. Censure is a means to formally disapprove of our President’s behavior. It is a lesser form of punishment than impeachment. If censured by Congress, President Clinton will remain in office. We could decide to take no action against the President because the charges are insubstantial or not grave enough to warrant impeachment.
Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr reported to Congress that he found evidence that the President lied under oath before a federal grand jury, about a relationship he had with a young White House intern. Lying under oath before a court of law is a crime called perjury. Congress must debate whether the President did commit perjury and whether or not perjury is a reason to impeach the President.
I believe that President Clinton should be impeached. I consider the crime of perjury as a high crime and that it is significant enough to impeach a President. For example, military officers who have perjured themselves in a court of law have been removed from service by court-martial. Federal judges have been impeached by the U.S. House and convicted by the U.S. Senate for committing the crime of perjury. Federal government employees have lost their jobs and some of them have received jail sentences for the crime of perjury. I believe that the President, as Commander in Chief of the Armed Services, should be held to the same code of conduct as his officers. The President is a federal employee and, as such, he should be held accountable for his actions as every other employee. No President is above the law. Therefore these are the reasons why I choose to vote for the impeachment of President Clinton.