JOHN LINDER: “serious charges have been made against President Bill Clinton, and I have stated that I believe resignation would be the…”

“serious charges have been made against President Bill Clinton, and I have stated that I believe resignation would be the best course of action. Not one of us wants to be here talking about perjury, obstruction of justice and abuse of power. This House is, however, carrying out its sworn duty as the representative branch of our Government to ensure that the president does not use the great powers at his disposal to undermine justice. For centuries, people have agreed to compacts, covenants and constitutions to form a government and be bound by its rules. We, the people of the United States, agreed as a whole to obey the laws that hold our Nation together and apply these laws to every American equally. We cannot decide to apply these laws selectively. President Clinton took an oath to faithfully defend the laws of our Nation, and no one man can be permitted to decide which laws can be broken or which lies he decides are acceptable under oath. In this case, the one man is the President of the United States--the top law enforcement officer in America--and this president violated the laws of the United States. I am gravely distressed about the significance of his actions on our constitutional system and the functioning of our Government in the future. The rule of law in this Nation must be equal and impartial for all Americans--rich and poor, weak and strong. We cannot allow people to think of our laws as a tool of the powerful in our society.…”