BY LARRY WHEELER
Gannett News Service
WASHINGTON -- House Judiciary Chairman Henry Hyde, R-Ill., believes evidence is strong enough to launch a formal inquiry into whether President Clinton's attempts to hide an affair with Monica Lewinsky constitute impeachable offenses.
But the Illinois Republican indicated Monday he would withhold final judgment until next week, when his panel hears from committee lawyers and votes on a resolution to authorize an impeachment inquiry. Any such resolution also would have to pass the full House.
"I should think there is enough to warrant an inquiry, but I've given up on predicting votes," Mr. Hyde said of the boxes of evidence turned over to the House by independent counsel Kenneth Starr. In what could be interpreted as a bow to public opinion and pressure from committee Democrats, Mr. Hyde made several other decisions that could shape the early phases of an eventual impeachment inquiry. Among them:
A Judiciary subcommittee will meet soon to hear academic and other experts talk about what constitutes impeachable offenses. Republican and Democratic staff members will travel to Mr. Starr's offices to view additional material not turned over to the House -- material some Democrats think could prove exculpatory for Mr. Clinton.
The videotape of Mr. Clinton testifying in the Paula Jones sexual harassment civil suit will not be released at this time.
Briefings by committee lawyers focusing on the evidence Mr. Starr presented to support his 11 grounds of possible impeachable offenses by Mr. Clinton will be open to the public -- not closed as previously planned.
The last of the Starr files is to be made available to the public through the Government Printing Office on Thursday.
The cache will contain transcripts of secret tape recordings of Ms. Lewinsky made by Linda Tripp and the grand jury testimony of presidential friend Vernon Jordan and Betty Currie, Mr. Clinton's personal secretary.
A committee staffer described the material as extremely tangential to the main Starr report released on Sept. 11, and the appendices unveiled by the Judiciary Committee on Sept. 21.
On Monday, the committee will begin what Mr. Hyde called "Phase 2."
"The question facing the committee is quite simple, really," Mr. Hyde said. "Do the allegations against the president merit further investigation? Should we inquire further into these allegations -- or refuse to take a closer look and just shut down?"
