An Affair of State: The Investigation, Impeachment, and Trial of President Clinton

290 Pages·1999·1.16 MB·English

by  Richard A. Posner

AN
AFFAIR
OF STATE

AN
AFFAIR
OF STATE
the investigation,
impeachment,
and trial of
president clinton
•
Richard A. Posner
Harvard University Press
Cambridge,Massachusetts
London,England
1999
Copyright(cid:2)1999bythePresidentandFellowsofHarvardCollege
Allrightsreserved
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Thirdprinting,2000
FirstHarvardUniversityPresspaperbackedition,2000
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Posner,RichardA.
Anaffairofstate:theinvestigation,impeachmentandtrial
ofPresidentClinton/RichardA.Posner.
p.cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN0-674-00080-3(cloth)
ISBN0-674-00391-8(pbk.)
1.Clinton,Bill,1946– —Impeachment. 2.Trials(Impeachment)—
UnitedStates. 3.Impeachments—UnitedStates. I.Title.
KF5076.C57P67 1999
342.73’062—dc21 99-24307
Contents
Dramatis Personae vii
Chronology ix
Introduction 1
1. The President’s Conduct 16
2. Prosecution and Defense 59
3. The History, Scope, and Form of Impeachment 95
4. Morality, Private and Public 133
5. Should President Clinton Have Been Impeached,
and If Impeached Convicted? 170
6. The Kulturkampf 199
7. Lessons for the Future 217
8. The Balance Sheet 262
Acknowledgments 267
Index 269

Dramatis Personae
MonicaLewinsky WhiteHouseintern,thenemployee;Clinton
girlfriendandwitnessinhisSenatetrial
WilliamClinton PresidentoftheUnitedStates
KennethStarr IndependentCounsel,investigatingthePresident
BettyCurrie ThePresident’spersonalsecretary
EvelynLieberman DeputyWhiteHouseChiefofStaff
PaulaJones Plaintiffinasexualharassmentsuitagainst
Clinton
SusanWebberWright DistrictjudgeintheJonescase
BillRichardson U.S.AmbassadortotheUnitedNations
VernonJordan Washingtonlawyer;Clintonfriendandwitness
inhisSenatetrial
RonaldPerelman Chairmanoftheexecutivecommitteeof
Revlon,Inc.
SidneyBlumenthal AssistanttothePresident;witnessinClinton’s
Senatetrial
WebsterHubbell FormerAssociateAttorneyGeneral
LindaTripp Pentagonemployee;confidanteofLewinsky
KathleenWilley VolunteerworkerintheWhiteHouse
LucianneGoldberg Conservativeliteraryagent;friendof
LindaTripp
(cid:3)
viii DramatisPersonae
GenniferFlowers FormergirlfriendofClinton
VinceFoster FormerDeputyWhiteHouseCounsel;asuicide
RichardMellonScaife Clintonopponent
RobertFiske Starr’spredecessorasIndependentCounsel
JamesCarville Politicalconsultant;Clintondefender
RobertBennett Clinton’sleadlawyerintheJonescase
DavidKendall Clinton’sleadlawyerintheStarrinvestigation
HenryHyde ChairmanoftheHouseJudiciaryCommittee;
chiefprosecutorofClintonintheSenatetrial
TomDeLay HouseRepublicanwhip
CharlesRuff WhiteHouseCounsel;thePresident’slead
lawyerintheimpeachmentandtrial
Chronology
May8,1991 PaulaJonesencountersGovernorClintonina
hotelroominArkansas
November3,1992 ClintoniselectedPresident
May6,1994 JonessuesClintonforsexualharassment,
askingfor$700,000indamages
August9,1994 KennethStarrisappointedIndependentCounsel
toinvestigateWhitewaterrealestatedeal
July1995 MonicaLewinskybecomesaWhiteHouse
intern
November15,1995 Clintonbeginsasexualrelationshipwith
Lewinsky
April5,1996 LewinskyistransferredtothePentagon
November5,1996 ClintonisreelectedPresident
March29,1997 Clinton’slastsexualencounterwithLewinsky
May27,1997 TheSupremeCourtrulesthattheJonessuitcan
goforward
November1997 LewinskyenlistsVernonJordan’saidinher
NewYorkjobsearch
December5,1997 Lewinsky’snameappearsonthewitnesslistin
theJonescase
December28,1997 BettyCurriepicksupgiftsfromLewinsky,hides
themunderherbed
January7,1998 LewinskysignsanaffidavitintheJonescase