Nw Senators Pledge To Be Fair Jurors
After Northwest senators took a solemn oath Thursday, they began the hard work of getting used to their jobs as jurors sitting in judgment of the president.
The senators said they will be fair and impartial, and they also vowed to press ahead with work on Social Security, education and other issues - even as the capital is transfixed by impeachment.
But in reality, the extraordinary swearing-in ceremony in the Senate chamber has ushered in a period of uncharted waters for a body that normally follows a careful script. The senators don’t know how long the trial will last or what it’s outcome will be, but they nonetheless marveled at the task that faces them.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said that when Chief Justice William Rehnquist administered the oath to her, “it was probably the most serious and solemn moment I have had in six years in the United States Senate.”
But she added: “I am very, very concerned that this entire process that has held this city hostage will keep the Senate from getting to the important issues of this country.”
The length of the trial and what it will entail dominated discussions Thursday as the Senate tried to find an agreement on the impeachment process.
Murray has said she doesn’t see the need for witnesses because the information has been discussed for nearly a year.
But Republican Mike Crapo of Idaho, who was sworn in as a senator Wednesday and as an impeachment juror Thursday, disagreed. Crapo sat through House impeachment deliberations while still a member of that chamber and contends “witnesses should be called where there’s a dispute on the facts.”
After the swearing-in, the senators adjourned the trial. Sen. Slade Gorton, R-Wash., walked briskly past a large group of reporters in the Capitol hallway and did not comment.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said, like a true juror, he will not comment on twists and turns of the trial because he does not want to fuel a circuslike atmosphere. “Spinning time on this matter is over,” he said.
Wyden also said he is open to a “full trial” and witnesses but that he will not “skimp for a moment” on other issues facing the nation. “What is important is that the business of the public in these other areas - health care and education - not be held in suspended animation,” he said.
Rep. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, said the trial need not consume the Senate even if witnesses are called.
“The government will not come to a standstill during this time,” Craig said. “Despite a trial, the normal beginning-of-the-session activity can continue to take place: The budget will be pulled together; committees can still finalize their hearing schedules.”