Without Counsel

Notwithstanding that the House voted to authorize an impeachment inquiry into President Clinton’s lies and obstruction only this October, the fact is that an impeachment inquiry has been underway since January. That’s when independent counsel Kenneth Starr sought and received the blessing of the Justice Department and the court overseeing his investigation to look into the President’s possible perjury and obstruction in the Paula Jones sexual-misconduct case. In essence, Starr began conducting a sort of preliminary inquiry on behalf of (but not under the supervision of) the House Judiciary Committee, where articles of impeachment will in theory originate.

Few made much of this aspect of Starr’s role at the time, unprecedented though it was. But he really was a walking hybrid. True, he had been investigating the Clintons and their cronies for several years in at least four broad areas, starting with Whitewater. But not until January did Bill Clinton land squarely in Starr’s sights: namely, in the spot where the target of a criminal investigation stands as prosecutors gather evidence and present it to the grand jury with the goal of indicting him.

About the Author

Tod Lindberg

Mr. Lindberg is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution and the editor of Policy Review. He is the author of The Political Teachings of Jesus.

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Notwithstanding that the House voted to authorize an impeachment inquiry into President Clinton’s lies and obstruction only this October, the fact is that an impeachment inquiry has been underway since January. That’s when independent counsel Kenneth Starr sought and received the blessing of the Justice Department and the court overseeing his investigation to look into the President’s possible perjury and obstruction in the Paula Jones sexual-misconduct case. In essence, Starr began conducting a sort of preliminary inquiry on behalf of (but not under the supervision of) the House Judiciary Committee, where articles of impeachment will in theory originate.

Few made much of this aspect of Starr’s role at the time, unprecedented though it was. But he really was a walking hybrid. True, he had been investigating the Clintons and their cronies for several years in at least four broad areas, starting with Whitewater. But not until January did Bill Clinton land squarely in Starr’s sights: namely, in the spot where the target of a criminal investigation stands as prosecutors gather evidence and present it to the grand jury with the goal of indicting him.