Plan Is Practical, Senator Insists

A plan that would allow the Senate to vote on whether President Clinton could be removed from office before it hears testimony is both constitutional and practical, said Republican Slade Gorton, one of the plan’s authors.

It also would allow the public to listen to the Senate debate on the information against Clinton being presented by the House of Representatives, Washington state’s senior senator said Monday as he prepared to return to Washington, D.C.

Gorton and Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., have proposed a blueprint to avoid a lengthy impeachment trial. Any plan will require the approval of a majority of the Republican Caucus, and a majority of all members of the Senate.

Here’s the way Gorton and Lieberman are proposing the trial start:

Monday, Jan. 11 - House Republicans serving as “managers” of the articles of impeachment would have a day to present their case against President Clinton.

Gorton said he doubted that witnesses are needed at this point and questioned whether the Senate or the public wanted to hear a public description of sex acts allegedly performed by former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

Tuesday, Jan. 12 - Attorneys for Clinton would have a day to rebut the case presented by House Republicans.

Wednesday, Jan. 13 - Senators would have a day to submit questions to be asked of either side by Chief Justice William Rehnquist who would be sitting as the judge.

Senate rules require that all 100 senators remain silent during the proceedings, which Gorton said could become increasingly difficult for some members of what is sometimes called “the world’s greatest debating society.”

Thursday and Friday, Jan 14-15 - Senators would have a public debate on the information presented for the two articles of impeachment.

Senate rules say that any debate after witnesses have testified and the trial is over must be done in private. This would allow the public to know what each senator had to say, Gorton said.

At the end of the debate, senators will be asked to vote on whether the information they had heard thus far - assuming it could be proved true through further testimony - is enough to convict Clinton and remove him from office.

If the number who said they could possibly convict Clinton was less than 67 - the two-thirds majority required by the Constitution to remove him from office - the Senate would debate and hold another vote on whether to adjourn the impeachment trial.

If a majority doesn’t vote to adjourn, a trial with witnesses would take place. Gorton said, however, that unless the Senate is close to the super-majority needed to oust Clinton, the public and the news media will begin to question why it is holding a trial.

If a majority votes to adjourn the trial, the Senate could debate and vote on a censure resolution.

Current Senate rules allow for any member to call for a vote on adjourning the trial at any time. Without an agreement to some kind of plan, Gorton said the Senate may face a motion to adjourn every day.