Patrick Leahy: “I regret to have to return to an unfinished aspect of the Senate impeachment trial of President Clinton. On February 2…”

“I regret to have to return to an unfinished aspect of the Senate impeachment trial of President Clinton. On February 2, I attended the deposition of Vernon Jordan as one of the Senators designated to serve as presiding officers. On February 4, the Senate approved the House Managers' motion to include a portion of that deposition in the trial record. Unfortunately, the House Managers moved to include only a portion of the videotaped deposition in the trial record and left the rest hidden from the public and subject to the confidentiality rules that governed those proceedings. On Saturday, February 6, at the conclusion of his presentation, Mr. Kendall asked for permission to display the last segment of the videotaped deposition of Vernon Jordan, in which, as Mr. Kendall described it, 'Mr. Jordan made a statement defending his own integrity.' The House Managers objected to the playing of the approximately 2-minute segment of the deposition that represented Mr. Jordan's 'own statement about his integrity.' I then rose to request unanimous consent from the Senate that the segment of the videotaped deposition be allowed to be shown on the Senate floor to the Senate and the American people. There was objection from the Republican side. I noted my disappointment at the time and in my February 12 remarks about the depositions.”