FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 8, 1998
CONTACT: Mark Brownell  202-225-2165

Washington D.C. -- Congressman Collin C. Peterson (DFL - 7th District) voted today for both the Democratic and Republican Resolutions to allow the House Judiciary Committee to proceed with hearings to consider the Independent Counsel’s charges against the President.

“The extreme partisans on both sides, along with the national press, have tried to blow this procedural vote into a much bigger deal than it is,” said Peterson.  “I think people have known for some time that there would be an inquiry by the House.  Regardless of the outcome, we can’t just ignore these charges; doing that would be shirking our constitutional duty.”

“People need to recognize that this is not a vote to impeach the President, but rather a vote on whether or not to have the Committee proceed with its work.  There is substantial and credible evidence that clearly must be examined in a fair and open manner, and I am hopeful that allowing the Judiciary Committee to proceed will give us the opportunity to do just that.”

Both Resolutions called for an inquiry by the House Judiciary Committee, and they both allowed the Committee to consider additional materials from the Independent Counsel’s office beyond what has already been delivered to the House.

Peterson said “One of the reasons I didn’t announce my position earlier was that I couldn’t get a copy of the alternative bill the Democrats wanted to offer until this morning, the day of the vote.  After I’d had a chance to read it, it seemed to me there wasn’t more than a dime’s worth of difference between the Republicans’ bill and the one the Democrats offered.”

The Republican Resolution was virtually identical to the resolution authorizing the Committee to conduct an impeachment inquiry in 1974 regarding President Nixon.  It gives shared power to the Republican Chairman and the Ranking Democrat.  It does not limit the inquiry in scope, and the hearing authority expires on January 3, 1999.  The Democrats’ Resolution contained a December 31, 1998, date by which proceedings would be concluded, but it also provided a process for extending the authority beyond the end of the year if the Committee was not able to finish its work by that time.

“The differences were so insignificant that the perfect solution on the floor today would have been for the Republicans to accept the Democrats’ amendment.  Both bills gave the House a chance to get to the bottom of the charges, weigh the evidence, and make an informed decision,” Peterson said, “and since that is what we need to do to put this all behind us and get on with the important business of the nation, I voted for both of them.”

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