Rep. Henry Hyde

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, December 3) -- House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde told Republican members of the committee Thursday that the impeachment inquiry against President Bill Clinton will not be expanded to look into alleged campaign finance irregularities.

Three Republican members of the committee told CNN that Hyde (R-Illinois) informed GOP lawmakers on the panel that he does "not expect campaign finance to be part of the impeachment debate." Hyde made his comments during a conference call with the Republican committee members.

Also in this story:

• Conyers: Memo doesn't warrant expanding inquiry
• GOP group circulates censure petition
• White House lawyers prepare defense
• Hearings scheduled for next week

Because of the shift in focus, Republican sources told CNN, the Judiciary Committee no longer plans to take sworn depositions from FBI Director Louis Freeh; Charles LaBella, former head of the Justice Department's campaign finance task force; and White House Deputy Counsel Bruce Lindsey.

Wednesday a judge allowed lawyers for both the Republicans and the Democrats to review memos from LaBella and Freeh. Those memos reportedly called on Attorney General Janet Reno to appoint an independent counsel to look into alleged campaign finance abuses by the president.

The lawyers were not allowed to take notes and were only allowed to report back to Hyde and ranking minority member Rep. John Conyers (D-Michigan). Sources say the Republican counsel, David Schippers, told Hyde there was a lot of damaging material in the memo but not much about Clinton.

The spokesman for committee Republicans made no official comment.

Conyers: Memo doesn't warrant expanding inquiry

Conyers released a statement Wednesday saying there was nothing in the memos warranting an expansion of the impeachment inquiry against president to include campaign fund-raising.

Rep. John Conyers

"Democratic counsel has thoroughly examined the memoranda in question and has advised me nothing in these documents is in any way relevant to this committee's consideration of possible impeachable offenses by the president," Conyers' statement said.

"As committee Democrats indicated yesterday (Tuesday), the majority's sudden lurch into the subject of campaign finance is ill-advised and simply a last ditch attempt to resuscitate a dying investigation. We trust that this closes a short and unproductive chapter in the history of this very strange proceeding," Conyers said.

In an interview Wednesday, LaBella told The Associated Press he regretted his memo had become fodder for public inquiry.

"Internal prosecutorial memoranda are not intended for public consumption," LaBella said.

Reno had kept the memo secret, but U.S. District Court Judge Norma Holloway Johnson ruled Wednesday that the two committee staffers should be allowed to read it without taking notes or making copies.

Judge Norma Holloway Johnson

Following the ruling, Schippers and Kevin Simpson, deputy chief investigative counsel for the Democrats, reviewed the documents at the Justice Department.

The House Judiciary Committee voted Tuesday to expand the impeachment inquiry beyond the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal, issuing subpoenas for the controversial memos.

GOP group circulates censure petition

Meanwhile, a group of approximately 20 Republican lawmakers, led by Rep. Peter King (R-New York), is circulating a petition promoting censure of the president as an alternative to impeachment.

Rep. Peter King

The proposed censure would include a financial penalty and some sort of statement of wrongdoing or contrition from the president stopping short of admitting to illegal behavior.

There could be some constitutional impediments to this form of agreement. The White House would have to agree to the terms in advance. Even then, Republican leaders may question the constitutionality of the censure option and not allow it on the House floor. The only way around that would be to come up with a consensus agreement.

When asked if he would allow a censure motion to come before the House, House Speaker-elect Bob Livingston said, "I don't have any idea what we're going to do until the Judiciary Committee reports. "

"It seems to me that all of our members have the right to digest the contents of the Judiciary report," Livingston said. "Look, if in fact they report this year and that's not certain yet, and if they were to recommend a vote on articles of impeachment, it will be the most significant, the most important vote, most weighty vote of a member of Congress' career.

Rep. Bob Livingston

Livingston also said if the Judiciary Committee does not finish its work by the end of next week the impeachment inquiry would have to extend into next year.

Livingston said he would prefer for the committee to act next week and if it does, a vote in the full House could be held the following week.

"My preference would be to get it over with this year," said Livingston. "If the Judiciary Committee doesn't complete its work next week it would be pretty certain it would have to be carried over."

Democrats have been promoting censure as an alternative to impeachment for some time. Now a like-minded group of Republicans wants to put pressure on their party leadership, specifically Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Texas), the third-highest ranking Republican in the House.

White House officials have made it clear they are open to some sort of censure penalty short of impeachment. They have not ruled out a financial penalty and would like to end the process soon.

Lindsey, the deputy White House counsel, sidestepped the issue, though. Asked Thursday whether the president would accept a censure resolution from Congress, Lindsey said, "I have no earthly idea."

White House lawyers prepare defense

Attorneys for the president continue to prepare a "vigorous defense" of the president, demanding access to materials gathered by Republican impeachment investigators.

Clinton decided Wednesday to accept an invitation from Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde to have his lawyers appear before the panel on December 8. White House Counsel Charles Ruff and special counsel Greg Craig will represent the president.

Charles Ruff

"We will of course accept your invitation to appear before the committee and to present a defense on behalf of the president," Craig and Ruff wrote Hyde.

"Once we have reviewed the material, we will be prepared to present a vigorous defense of the president," the letter said. Full text of letter

Specifically, the White House was asking for any new evidence the committee has relating to lawmakers' interest in alleged campaign finance abuses.

They are also interested in any new materials Independent Counsel Ken Starr may have sent them and any documents sent to the committee concerning Kathleen Willey, an ex-White House volunteer who alleged she was groped by Clinton near the Oval Office.

An administration official, speaking anonymously, said the defense of the president would happen whether or not the Republicans provided the requested material.

Hyde has not yet formally replied to the White House request.

A spokesman for committee Republicans, Paul McNulty, said Wednesday the GOP was "certainly willing to notify the White House prior to its presentation next week of the issues it may wish to defend, although the president knows the truth better than anyone."

Hearings scheduled for next week

As of now, the Judiciary Committee is scheduled to have four days of hearings next week, starting with the president's attorneys and ending with a vote on at least one article of impeachment. If that proposal passes, the full House will likely vote the following week. Both parties hope to wrap up the inquiry in the next two weeks.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Bob Franken, Terry Frieden and John King and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Thursday, December 3, 1998

• Fund-raising won't be part of impeachment inquiry
• FEC commission considers Clinton, Dole repayments
• Democratic fund-raiser pleads innocent to obstructing Senate
• Rep. Kennelly leaves after 17 years
• GOP leaders say they will work for tax cut
• Boehner: Ouster from House leadership was 'big weight removed'
• Baltimore mayor won't run again
• Reno stays mum on campaign finance probe
• Livingston finally steps into spotlight
• Political consultant Matt Reese dies at 71
• Democrats, Republicans disagree on Social Security
• Teacher sues over use of Clinton scandal in class
• News analysis: Impeachment inquiry lurches toward vote
• Clinton touts water purifying standards

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