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Thursday, June 4th, 2015

What We Now Know About The Men Who Led The Impeachment Of Clinton

Author:     Judd Legum
Source:     Think Progress
Publication Date:     May 30, 2015 at 1:43 pm
 Link: What We Now Know About The Men Who Led The Impeachment Of Clinton
Stephan:   The impeachment of Bill Clinton is now far enough in the past that we can see it with the clarity rendered by historical perspective. Many of us lived through these events but, if you are like me, as you read them now you will find the cynicism, the moral and ethical bankruptcy of the leaders of the Republican Congress almost breathtakingly corrupt. It is clear now that for these Republican leaders this exercise was nothing but a political lynching, carried out by men who cared nothing for governing responsibly.

On December 19, 1998, the House of Representatives impeached Bill Clinton on two charges related to his extramarital affair with Monica Lewinsky. (The charges were for perjury and obstruction of justice.) The historic vote, and subsequent trial in the Senate, involved the work of three men who were elected Speaker of the House Of Representatives by the Republican majority, Newt Gingrich, Bob Livingston and Dennis Hastert.

Almost 17 years later, with the federal indictment of Hastert for illegally concealing up to $3.5 million in hush-money, we finally have a more complete understanding of the men who led this effort.

Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich in 1998 Credit: AP

Newt Gingrich in 1998
Credit: AP

Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) led the push for Bill Clinton’s impeachment. Following a disappointing election in November 1998, he announced he was stepping down as Speaker and resigning from Congress.
Gingrich later admitted that, while he was pushing for Clinton’s impeachment, he was engaged in an affair with a Congressional aide. “There were times when I was praying and when I felt […]

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