Rick Lazio: “I bear no animus for Bill Clinton. I have no grudge against him. Nor would I consider removing a President from office…”

“I bear no animus for Bill Clinton. I have no grudge against him. Nor would I consider removing a President from office because of partisan differences. For one thing, the President has on many occasions adopted Republican positions, and on various subjects his political outlook is congenial to mine. For another, his replacement should he be removed from office or resign would be the Vice President, a man who has been less aligned with my party's views. This is neither a personal nor a partisan decision. Its difficulty lies in the rare but important conflict between what is expedient in the short term and what resonates as a guiding principle for time with no limit. It is not about the fate of one man, but the value of truth itself, the principle that no man, no matter how rich or powerful, is above the law. It is about the notion of accountability, and about dealing straight and keeping one's word. Public ethics and the truth must be partners.”