Specter Urges House to End Impeachment

Amid clear signs of discord among Republicans on the impeachment issue, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) called on his colleagues Wednesday to halt the process altogether and instead let independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr prosecute President Clinton in federal court after his term expires in 2001.

“I am suggesting holding the president accountable through the criminal process after his term of office expires,” Specter said at a news conference. Specter, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, predicted that Clinton would “face the distinct possibility of a jail sentence.”

His proposal, rejected out of hand by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry J. Hyde (R-Ill.), adds to the anxious debate among congressional Republicans over what to do about impeachment in the absence of bipartisan or popular support. With impeachment hearings only a week away, members are badly split between going forward with an impeachment resolution, perhaps as soon as late November, or finding some way to short-circuit the process.

For months, some lawmakers have advanced the idea of congressional censure of Clinton: anything from a monetary fine to a verbal rebuke to the loss of his pension. But there remains no consensus on how to proceed.

“I don’t think a censure is a remote possibility,” said Rep. Stephen E. Buyer (R-Ind.), a Judiciary Committee member who is leaning toward favoring impeachment.

‘Congress Must Do Its Duty’

Rep. Ron Packard (R-Oceanside) has said he would rather see lawmakers drop the entire matter than pursue a lesser punishment. Although Packard is not sure articles of impeachment could pass the House, he said Wednesday that he would support them.

“As I have said all along, the Constitution does not provide a mechanism other than impeachment to punish a president,” Packard said in a statement. “Congress must do its duty, regardless of the difficulty of that obligation.”

Still, a small but growing list of moderate Republicans has signaled that it would likely vote against impeachment. The size of that group could determine whether the House is called back from recess next month to confront the issue.

Despite the hand-wringing, the GOP-led House Judiciary Committee appears headed for a party-line vote in coming weeks on whether Clinton committed “high crimes and misdemeanors” in trying to cover up his affair with Monica S. Lewinsky.

“I think we have a constitutional duty to perform under the law and the Constitution, and we’re going to perform it,” Hyde told the Associated Press in Wheaton, Ill. “I don’t know how it’s going to come out. . . . But I will predict we will press forward and do our duty.”

After a closed-door background briefing today, committee members will reconvene Nov. 19 for the official opening of impeachment hearings. So far, Starr is the only scheduled witness, although committee sources said GOP members are discussing whether to call Deputy White House Counsel Bruce Lindsey, a Clinton confidant. Another possible witness is Robert S. Bennett, the president’s attorney in the Paula Corbin Jones sexual harassment lawsuit.

Rep. Bob Barr (R-Ga.), one of Clinton’s fiercest critics on the Judiciary Committee, conceded that talk of an exit strategy is buzzing in Republican circles. But he argued for an up-or-down vote on impeachment.

“I have great concern that if we allow this to go away, basically, we’ll be telling future generations that anyone is above the law,” Barr said in an interview.

Specter Sees Lack of Senate, House Support

Specter said he thinks the House may lack the votes to impeach Clinton and that he is convinced there is insufficient support in the Senate to convict him.

“The House is not sure where they’re going,” he said. “I wouldn’t say they’re in disarray, but they don’t know where they’re going.”

Specter, a former prosecutor, began floating his proposal last week to fellow senators and other key leaders. Among those who have heard his pitch but remained noncommittal are Rep. Bob Livingston (R-La.), the likely successor to retiring House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), and Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.). Both will be key players in how the drama plays out.

Asked whether he had discussed his proposal with Starr, Specter declined to answer.

Any prosecution of Clinton could be problematic. Already, Starr has released to the House significant amounts of normally secret grand jury material, which has been published and distributed on the Internet. And Hyde has told Clinton that information he turns over in response to questions from the committee will not be used in any outside prosecution.

The White House on Wednesday reiterated its desire for a speedy end to the process. As for Specter’s prediction of possible jail time, presidential aides repeated their contention that Starr’s charges of criminal perjury and obstruction of justice are without merit.

“We believe this matter should be put behind us as soon as possible so we can focus on the business of this country,” said James Kennedy, a spokesman for the White House counsel’s office. “We’re not in the position to comment on any particular ideas on how to end this. Ultimately, it’s in the hands of the Congress.”

Times staff writer Stephen Braun contributed to this story.