WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, September 23) -- The battle lines are beginning to form over how to proceed with the House of Representatives's review of possible impeachable offenses by President Bill Clinton. Democratic leaders called Wednesday for the House to speed up its review of Independent Counsel Ken Starr's report and resolve the issue within 30 days, while House Speaker Newt Gingrich rejected any "rush to a solution."

House Speaker Newt Gingrich

House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt challenged House members to set a timetable to complete the House's part of the Starr report review and possible impeachment process. The House Judiciary Committee is expected to decide whether to recommend a formal impeachment inquiry within a couple of weeks.

"It is our view and we believe it's the view of the American people that this investigation be done as quickly as humanly possible," Gephardt said Wednesday. "Given this will ... the choice is clear. We can resolve on a bipartisan effort to do the work that needs to be done in the next 30 days in the House or we might face two years of ongoing hearings."

Gingrich, Gephardt, Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas), Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde (R-Illinois) and ranking Judiciary Democrat Rep. John Conyers met Wednesday morning to discuss differences about how to proceed with the impeachment investigation process.

Conyers, appearing with Gephardt, complained afterward the Judiciary Committee has not been able to conduct its investigation because the Republicans have been intent on immediately releasing all 18 boxes of materials delivered to the Congress by Starr.

The Michigan Democrat urged the committee and the House leadership to "bring some process" to the current proceedings to speed up the review.

Gephardt and Conyers did not appear at the microphone with Gingrich when he met reporters immediately after the Wednesday morning meeting, but opted for a separate news conference later.

Gingrich said the meeting with the Democratic leadership was "a very good meeting" and added, "I think there was a sense today we may be through the roughest spots."

Asked how long it would take for the House to complete its investigation, Gingrich said, "Well, it depends on whether the president instructs his staff to testify. It depends on whether the attitude is obstruction or the attitude is cooperation. And, I think at the moment we don't know what will happen."

White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry

White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry accused Gingrich of orchestrating an effort to prolong the process of dealing with Starr's report, saying members of the House who had spoken with the Speaker had quoted Gingrich as saying the investigation could go on for "months and months."

"Mr. Hyde has indicated these matters are above his pay grade. He's not making these calls on these matters; presumably the speaker is calling the shots," said McCurry.

Gingrich: Too early for a deal with Clinton

Gingrich also said it was too early to talk about a deal to forestall an impeachment inquiry of Clinton.

"I don't understand how people can rush to a solution before they finish the investigation," Gingrich said. "There's an awful lot of evidence that hasn't been gathered yet. People need to allow the process to go forward in an orderly manner and not assume that they know what the final outcome will be either way."

The White House has welcomed talk of a lesser punishment, such as a congressional censure and a fine. Early Wednesday, McCurry called the "bipartisan idea" a better reflection of the public's opinion.

Many other Democrats share the White House's desire to wrap the investigation up with a so-called "plea bargain" agreement.

Sen. John Kerry (D-Massachusetts), who has said the president should appear before the Judiciary Committee to explain his behavior, said again Wednesday the American people "want this process brought to a close."

Sen. John Kerry

"If the president were to agree to come up, the House could significantly reduce the amount of time and energy that needs to be expended on this," Kerry said. "It wouldn't take away their constitutional process but it would give us a means of being able to limit significantly the need for an extensive period of investigation of what's already been investigated."

Kerry said it is possible to get to a resolution rapidly "without exposing the entire world to months of salacious and frankly repetitious material.

"If the committee and the country want to bring this to a rapid close, the way to do it is to give the president the opportunity to talk with the understanding that there's a clear, defined end to this process," Kerry said.

Gephardt letter calls for renewed bipartisanship

Before the Wednesday morning session, Gephardt had complained in a letter to Gingrich that Republicans were reneging on promises to take a bipartisan approach toward the Starr's report.

House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt

"Just as I called on the president to acknowledge his responsibility straightforwardly, I now call on you to assert your leadership in guaranteeing fairness and bipartisanship as the House proceeds in the coming days," Gephardt wrote to Gingrich on Tuesday.

In the letter, Gephardt complained that Republicans overrode Democratic objections when they refused to give the president's lawyers advance notice of the material in the report. He also said Republicans ignored Democratic objections to the release of some sexually explicit material.

Gephardt called for restraint as the House Judiciary Committee decides what else to release from Starr's evidence, and also urged the House to demand that Starr turn over some evidence that was not sent with his initial report.

"How can we decide on the fairness of the process without determining what is in the interviews, grand jury testimony and boxes of documents that, for totally unexplained reasons, the Independent Counsel withheld?" Gephardt asked.

But Gingrich dismissed Gephardt's complaints Wednesday after their meeting.

Gingrich said part of the controversy over the release of the president's videotaped testimony and more than 3,000 pages of evidence was because Democrats on the Judiciary Committee don't agree with the majority of House Democrats who voted for the release of the information.

"This is the most anti-openness group in the House ... they even have a problem getting together with their own caucus," said Gingrich, referring to Democratic members of the Judiciary Committee.

He said he could not say whether the next scheduled meeting of the Judiciary Committee, to consider the possible release of more evidence, will be less contentious than last week's session.

The Judiciary Committee's next meeting has been moved from Thursday to Friday. The Committee is expected to continue its work on redacting sensitive material from the remaining 17 boxes of material from Starr.

Starr willing to send more materials

In a related development, Starr sent a letter to Gephardt Wednesday, insisting he had sent the "material necessary to the referral" to Congress.

Gephardt had written Gingrich saying the independent counsel should have turned over all materials related to his grand jury investigation. Starr withheld 20 boxes of materials, and Gephardt said he suspects there is material exculpatory to Clinton in those materials.

"If the House wishes any additional material from this office, we stand ready to provide the materials in accordance with our obligations under court rules," Starr wrote.

Hyde put out a statement saying he was "prepared to seek, in consultation with Mr. Conyers, any materials relevant to the Committee work if and when we proceed further."

That implies Hyde will defer any requests for additional Starr material until there is a decision to proceed with a formal impeachment inquiry.

Wednesday, September 23, 1998

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