BY DAVID ESPO
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON -- Rep. Henry Hyde, the Illinois Republican who will lead the Judiciary Committee's impeachment review, called the release of Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's case against President Clinton "the beginning of a long, climb up a steep mountain." "None of us look forward to it," he added after the House authorized release of the first 445 pages of the report.
"This is very shocking," said Rep. Charles Canady, R-Fla., a member of the Judiciary Committee.
"We need to reserve our ultimate judgment," he added, but said that "if the facts that are set forth here are ultimately substantiated, this is devastating."
"This could be a make or break weekend for the president," said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., as lawmakers flew off for a weekend of campaigning -- and a sampling of public opinion -- in their congressional districts.
White House lawyers rushed out a 70-page rebuttal even before Starr's report was released, and Clinton's personal attorney, David Kendall, later told reporters the president's conduct in the Lewinsky matter was "personal and not impeachable."
White House spokesman Mike McCurry said that Clinton had admitted to a personal failing that does not "constitute treason, bribery, and high crimes and misdemeanors that would justify the impeachment of the president of the United States."
Ultimately, that will be up to Congress to decide -- a point that Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, made tartly.
"David Kendall is not the one who will decide what is impeachable and what isn't," said the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "It's the House of Representatives."
A majority vote of the House is required to send impeachment articles to the Senate. It takes a two-thirds vote by the Senate to remove the president from office.
With most lawmakers flying home for a weekend of campaigning, few commented in the first few hours after the report was released. Speaker Newt Gingrich said he intended to read the report over the weekend and headed for his home in Georgia.
The House Democratic leader, Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri, maintained his silence as he jetted off for his son's wedding. Senate leaders likewise had little to say.
House leadership aides in both parties said that with the report barely having been made public, it was too early to accurately gauge the political impact. In addition, lawyers were just beginning to comb through more than 17 boxes of backup material as they tried to assess Clinton's legal difficulties.
Democratic Rep. Lane Evans of Illinois, a GOP target for defeat this fall, said it was time for Clinton "to end his reliance on lawyering and become forthcoming and totally cooperative with Congress and the American public."
Sen. Robert Torricelli, D-N.J., a staunch defender of the president, said, "It's difficult to make the case that the mandate of the American people in a presidential election should be overturned on the basis of testimony of Monica Lewinsky, who appears to be a troubled individual of questionable veracity. She may be telling the truth, she may not," he said.
Judiciary Committee officials were getting their first look at not only the 445 pages that were made public, but the backup material that includes grand jury testimony, much of which is ultimately expected to be made public.
They were authorized to do so when the House approved legislation on the release of the material. That came by an overwhelming bipartisan vote despite Democratic unhappiness that Republicans had refused to grant Clinton an advance look at the report to fashion a response. "This is not politics," said Gephardt. "This is not spinning. This is not polling. This is not a lynch mob. This is not a witch hunt. This is not trying to find facts to support our already reached conclusions. This is a constitutional test."
On that, Hyde agreed. "We are here because circumstances and our Constitution have thrust upon us an onerous duty -- one that requires us to summon the courage and the means to defend the rule of law."
