Rep. Henry Hyde
CNN plans live television coverage of the committee's proceedings, starting at 9 a.m. EDT.

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics) -- The House Judiciary Committee is set to meet Monday to consider starting a formal impeachment inquiry into President Bill Clinton's conduct, and the committee's chairman said Sunday that he wants to complete any probe within the next three months.

"It is my hope and prayer we could finish by New Year's," said Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Illinois, on NBC's "Meet The Press." However, he also indicated that a Democratic proposal to end any impeachment probe by Thanksgiving was a "nonstarter."

"But it would be wonderful if we could," Hyde said on "Fox News Sunday." "I'm the last person in the world that wants to stretch this out. All of us are weary of this ... but we have a duty -- a constitutional duty -- to see it through."

RELATED VIDEO
A history of impeachment CNN's Bruce Morton reports
Windows Media	28K	56K

However, House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Missouri, expressed skepticism that an impeachment inquiry would conclude before the end of the year.

"New Year's resolutions sometimes get broken," Gephardt said on ABC's "This Week." "I also don't have a lot of confidence, from the way that Republicans have run other inquiries over these last two years, that [Hyde's] wish will be followed."

The Judiciary Committee meets Monday to decide whether to take the next step and proceed with a formal impeachment inquiry into allegations of perjury, obstruction of justice, witness tampering and abuse of power raised against Clinton in a report by Independent Counsel Ken Starr.

The charges stem from Clinton's sexual relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky and his efforts to prevent its public disclosure.

The 37-member panel, with 21 Republicans and 16 Democrats, is known for its strong partisanship. It is expected to approve a Republican proposal for a free-ranging inquiry that would not be limited to Starr's report or the Lewinsky matter and would have no deadline for completion.

The procedures in the GOP plan are modeled after those used in 1974 during the Watergate impeachment inquiry of President Richard Nixon.

Democrats are expected to offer an alternative that would end the inquiry by Thanksgiving and limit it to the allegations contained in the Starr report, which focus almost entirely on the Lewinsky controversy.

President Clinton

The alternative is likely to be defeated -- but it will allow Democrats on the committee to vote for an impeachment inquiry in some form while voting against the GOP plan.

The committee's vote on whether and how to proceed with an impeachment inquiry could come late in the day Monday or Tuesday, after opening statements by lawmakers, presentations by staff lawyers and debate. Should the committee approve an inquiry as expected, the full House could vote on the matter Thursday or Friday.

Hyde said Sunday that GOP members of the committee are "not out trolling" for additional issues to investigate beyond the matters Starr has raised. But he also said the committee should be prepared to address any new information if it arises.

He said he expects his committee to approve a resolution authorizing an impeachment inquiry along party lines in the Judiciary Committee.

"I had hoped otherwise, but the Democrats are offering their own version, which provides them cover to vote against ours," he said on "Meet The Press."

Rep. John Conyers, D-Michigan, told reporters Friday that the Democratic alternative "creates a process grounded in the Constitution that is focused, fair, expeditious and deliberate."

Sunday, October 4, 1998

• Lott: Senators 'shaken' by briefing on Kosovo military strike
• Gerald Ford says Clinton should be rebuked
• Judiciary Committee meets Monday to consider Clinton probe

Election '98
• Alaska GOP sticks with controversial nominee for governor

ARCHIVES

Search CNN/AllPolitics by           Enter keyword(s)       go    help