Senate Preparing for Impeachment Trial

(1/5/99)

Lawmakers are returning to Washington today to prepare for the impeachment trial of the President.

The Senate formally convenes tomorrow, and senators will likely be sworn in as jurors in the President's trial by the end of the week. But democrats and republicans are still battling over many of the details. NBC's Campbell Brown has the latest from Washington.

Senate minority leader Tom Daschle says while it's not set in stone, he would like to see President Clinton's impeachment trial begin Monday. Daschle is today meeting with senate majority leader Trent Lott to try to forge a consensus on how to proceed. The Senate has a reputation for slow deliberation. A proposal both men had endorsed, that called for a trial to wrap up in about a week, appears to be dead in the water. Republican sources say the more likely scenario is two weeks at a minimum. But the main sticking point they'll have to resolve is whether to call witnesses like Monica Lewinsky, Bettie Curry, even the President.

Sen. Gordon Smith/(R) Oregon: "The only way to find out what the facts are is to call witnesses to determine their credibility."

But as the senate democratic leader made clear today, the House conducted its investigation without witnesses.

Sen. Tom Daschle/(D) South Dakota: "I don't know that anything has been more considered and more evaluated, more debated, than this issue. We really know the facts."