A sitting US President is called to account
An American president was facing impeachment last week for only the third time in history.
President Donald Trump was accused of asking a foreign country to investigate a rival in exchange for military aid.
He was also accused of obstructing justice by not allowing his staff to be quizzed about the matter.
If the court of impeachment, the US Senate, had found him guilty, President Trump could have been forced from office. The first impeachment was Andrew Johnson in 1868 – he managed to keep his job.
But the last time it happened was within living memory – and on February 12 1999, the Senate reached a conclusion on another impeachment trial.
In the dock was the 42nd president of the United States, Bill Clinton.
He had conducted an affair with 22-year-old White House employee Monica Lewinsky. That, however, wasn’t illegal.
Lewinsky confided in a co-worker about the affair. That colleague taped the admissions and turned them over to government investigators.
They were already investigating an accusation of sexual harassment against Clinton.
The president denied the charges, and famously appeared on television to do so. “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky,” he declared. The statement came back to haunt him and, as evidence mounted, the president’s political enemies scented blood.
His denials in the face of physical DNA evidence were deemed to be false and perjurious, and he was faced with two charges.
It looked as if Clinton could be in trouble at that point – his Republican opponents held a majority in both US houses of Congress.
A trial was held in the US Senate where a majority of two-thirds was needed to convict the beleaguered Clinton.
Amid the technical arguments there were passionate speeches made about the case.
White House Counsel Charles Ruff declared: “There is only one question before you, albeit a difficult one, one that is a question of fact and law and constitutional theory.
“Would it put at risk the liberties of the people to retain the president in office? Putting aside partisan animus, if you can honestly say that it would not, that those liberties are safe in his hands, then you must vote to acquit.” Twenty-one years ago on Wednesday, the Senate voted to acquit Clinton, who retained his office. President Trump’s was also acquitted of his charges and wasted no time in coming out to attack his political opponents. It remains to be seen if Trump, like Clinton, will be forever tainted by the trial.