Without Laws, We Are but Violence and Chaos

I have just completed one of the most difficult periods of my life. I voted for all four articles of impeachment against President Clinton because I believe that he has violated his oath of office, lied under oath and attacked Congress and the judiciary.

I withheld my decision until the president could argue his defense. I found it lacking. His actions were damaging to America and its foundation on the rule of law. I could not, in good conscience, vote any other way.

But the president has not been impeached. The full House will decide that matter this week. If the House impeaches the president, he will remain in office unless he is convicted during a Senate trial.

I point this out because the process before Congress is confusing, even to the high school history teacher and the high-ranking military officer with whom I spoke recently. Callers and writers to my office have routinely shown a misunderstanding of the process. I’m not surprised. For most Americans, impeachment is a mystery, a rare event.

The framers of our Constitution intentionally constructed a cumbersome impeachment process to protect the independence of the three equal branches of government. The House’s role in this Constitutional process is to be the accuser. To impeach simply means to accuse the president, the vice president or other officials of such wrongdoings that demand removal from office. If the House votes to impeach the president, it will fall to the Senate to judge him during a trial. Only if the Senate, by a two-thirds vote, convicts the president of the charges brought by the House would he be removed from office.

Because the Senate is the trier of facts and the body that doles out punishment if appropriate, it is also up to that body to decide whether to allow a censure resolution.

By pointing this out, I do not wish to trivialize my role in this process. It is an awesome burden of history and constitutional duty to consider whether to accuse the president of the United States. I agonized over this decision. It caused me many sleepless nights. But when I took my oath as a member of the House of Representatives, I accepted this responsibility.

The evidence is clear that the president lied under oath, repeatedly and willfully, then tried to cover it up. By doing so, he violated the rule of law, sought to undermine the judiciary and violated the oath he took to uphold the Constitution. He also violated his constitutional duty to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed.”

I know this has been hard on the country and unpopular in many quarters. Still, I have no choice but to stand up for the rule of law and the sanctity of the Constitution. A society without laws is anarchy. Societies that ignore their laws are condemned to violence and chaos. Yes, this process is hard on our country. But I believe that the country will be stronger by going through it. And I believe that our country will be far weaker if we do not make it clear that this is a land of laws to which every American must adhere.