Impeachment: Clinton Losing Support in House

(12/15/98)

Several members of Congress who've been on the fence about impeachment of the President came out against him today. Charles Sherrill reports from our Washington bureau.

President Clinton returns from the Middle East to face the growing prospect of impeachment. Senator Joseph Lieberman, a Democrat from Connecticut, says, "Clearly the momentum is in the direction of the House voting articles of impeachment and sending it to the senate."

With the floor vote less that two days away more of the so-called moderate Republicans now say they'll support impeachment:

Representative Tom Campbell, of California, says, "The President of the United States on several occasions with premeditation said what is not true, under oath, in a federal grand jury."

Feminists are opposing impeachment. Feminist leader, Betty Friedan, says, "We are outraged at the use of so-called sexual issues to try to impeach this President."

Former Senator and Presidential Candidate Bob Dole says Congress should condemn Clinton's conduct but leave him in office: And Utah Senator Orrin Hatch says, "If that's the way it works out he'll be pretty much of a lame duck president. I don't think he'll have much influence from that point on."

Senator Hatch thinks the Senate can finish a trial in four to six weeks: "Now, if the President wants to delay it there'll be plenty of reasons and plenty of ways that he can delay it," Hatch says. But he would do so at his peril, according Hatch. "The longer it goes, I think, the more likely it will be that this president, who acts recklessly and who's been known to act recklessly, could do some other things," Hatch says.