Clinton Impeachment Trial (1999) Essay Example

Introduction

The impeachment of William Jefferson Clinton in 1999 was one of the landmark occurrences that shaped American society and its politics. Being the only second incident in US history, the event didn't come as a surprise because party-line votes that led to trial were already drawn especially in the House of Representatives. Therefore, the essay aims to analyze further the significance of the prosecution on American government and society with a view that there need to draw a clear distinction between public morality and private morality.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

An Overview of the Case

The 1990s were characterized by heavy partisan politics with President Bill Clinton being at the center of all these. However, his actions as a president led to the second impeachment trial in our history.

Counsel Kenneth Starr was in-charge of investigating Clinton's allegations of misconduct. Clinton had been sued by Paul Jones for sexual harassment. She advised in her accusations a young former Whitehouse intern named Monica Lewinsky to testify against Clinton. The basis of bringing Lewinsky into the picture was because the young intern had told one of her friends that he had been having a relationship with the President.

Concerning Jones case, Lewinsky denied having any relationship with the president. Clinton also took an oath and denied any involvement with Lewinsky. It is this denial that caught Starr's attention. Starr went ahead and accused the president of committing perjury and obstructing justice in the Jones trial. He assembled a grand jury, gave out dozens of subpoenas and offered Lewinsky immunity in return for her confession.

The case took a new turn when Lewinsky finally admitted that she had lied. She agreed that she had had sexual encounters with President Clinton. Clinton, on the other hand, gave evasive answers while testifying before the jury. Despite that, he later admitted that he had an affair with Lewinsky and went ahead to apologize to his family.

After compiling his report, Starr forwarded it to the House Judiciary Committee. According to his release, he had proof of eleven impeachable offenses. The House of Representatives, in turn, passed two articles of impeachment especially regarding Clinton's relationship with Lewinsky. According to the House prosecutors, Clinton had committed perjury and obstruction of justice in the Jones investigation. This amounted to conviction and removal from office.

On the hand, the president's lawyers argued that Clinton's behavior was 'morally reprehensible.' Therefore, it could not lead to impeachment. According to their perspective, the president's behavior didn't meet any constitutional threshold to remove him from office. They argued that Clinton had committed wrongs against his family and therefore such matters were not of public concern. The lawyers held it that Clinton's actions didn't threaten national interests that he had sworn to uphold.

Even though the House of Representatives voted to impeach Clinton in 1998, the Republicans fell short of the two-thirds majority needed for his conviction in the Senate trials. The voting patterns in this trial were characterized by partisan politics. Thus, many believe that Clinton was impeached for political reasons, and not constitutional rights.

Impact of the Trial

The effect of the trial on American society and government comes out differently. First, many felt that the president was an adulterer and liar. Many also felt that Starr misused his authority by employing unfair tactics. The house managers, on the other hand, acted in a partisan manner. Others also felt that Lewinsky was used while Linda Tripp, Paula Jones, and the private legal team were driven by political motives. Even with all these interpretations, the trial had an impact on the American society in many ways.

From the reaction of the public, an impeachment trial is not a national calamity. Some have since viewed the prosecution as having come with some benefits. For example, many argue that George W. Bush took over and showed that the presidency was not weakened at all. Therefore, it is the general feeling that the US could have been better than the way it is today had people seriously thought about the distinction between private and public morality. Also, debates about sex have risen; the scandal has left many wondering the number of skeletons in every politician's closet.

On the other hand, a section of American society has found it challenging to take presidents seriously. Despite this mistrust, future elections in the US have turned more on matters of substance than stories about what candidates did in their beds.

A look at the impeachment trial of Clinton and the reactions from the general public generally show that the Americans have achieved political sophistication. They now regard the nation's leaders, political and intellectual leaders, as their peers as opposed to paragons. So far, the country doesn't depend on the superior virtue of one man.

American has also learned to look beyond the accusations laid on their leaders and focused on the contributions these leaders can make to better their lives. For example, despite the impeachment trial, many Americans still had hope in Clinton because of the way he was running the economy. They continued to see him as a leader who made sound economic and foreign policy decisions. Therefore, the impeachment trial didn't have traumatic experience on the people.

The scandal as compared to others didn't infiltrate the society. Most analysts claim that the Watergate scandal that revealed how Nixon administration illegally spied on democratic party had a more significant impact on the community than the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal.

From the lessons learned after the impeachment trial against Clinton, the American society doesn't view impeachment as a last resort. Instead, they see it as something worth discussing in the first year of presidency. The impeachment process was considered as a slow and careful process before, especially in the times of the Watergate scandal.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the impeachment trial of Clinton opened the eyes of the citizens into questioning the integrity of leaders beyond the serious issues debated during elections. Nowadays, their key point has become the character. They believe that character is vital in selecting honorable and responsible leaders. However, some don't care. They don't mind what the president does with his private life and feel that he cannot be removed from office for any action that is not directly related to his ability to rule.

References

Brey, N. (2017). Bill Clinton's impeachment has lingering effects today, faculty say. [online] Available at: http://www.kansan.com/news/bill-clinton-s-impeachment-has-lingering-effects-today-faculty-say/article_eff32a32-9c9e-11e7-93bc-1b1c6cfafef8.html [Accessed 15 Nov. 2018].

eLessons, P. (2018). The Impeachment of Bill Clinton - Bill of Rights Institute. [online] Bill of Rights Institute. Available at: https://billofrightsinstitute.org/educate/educator-resources/lessons-plans/presidents-constitution/clinton-impeachment/ [Accessed 15 Nov. 2018].

The user, S. (2018). The Impeachment Trial of President William Clinton: An Account. [online] Famous-trials.com. Available at: http://www.famous-trials.com/clinton/884-home [Accessed 15 Nov. 2018].