If Perjury Is Found, Few Expect Charges Will Be Filed

Anita Faye Hill told the Senate Judiciary Committee in the starkest terms that she was sexually harassed by Clarence Thomas. The Supreme Court nominee testified with equal certainty that he did not harass her. As numerous senators noted Saturday, one of the two is lying.

Because both testified under oath, either Thomas or Hill could theoretically be prosecuted for lying to Congress in the event that the truth is ever known. The determination to prosecute would be made by the Justice Department but would likely require a referral from the Senate, and experts believe that such a course is unlikely.

Although no one has raised the possibility of referring the matter to a court, there is ample history for prosecuting witnesses in high-profile cases for not telling Congress the truth.

Last Monday, former Assistant Secretary of State Elliott Abrams pleaded guilty to two counts of withholding information from congressional committees that were investigating the Ronald Reagan Administration’s role in the Iran-Contra scandal.

Ex-National Security Adviser John M. Poindexter is appealing a 1990 conviction for lying to Congress in the same scandal. And former Lt. Col. Oliver L. North’s conviction for giving false information to Congress in his Iran-Contra testimony was reversed on appeal.

Former Reagan Deputy Chief of Staff Michael K. Deaver was found guilty of lying when he told a congressional committee that he could not recall certain details of his lobbying activities.