Scorched Earth

[Anonymous <nobody@replay.com>]

URL: http://cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/9808/09/se.01.html

:: Special Event
:: 
:: Investigating the President: Can Bill Clinton Escape the Perjury Trap?
:: 
:: Aired August 9, 1998 - 4:00 p.m. ET 
:: 
:: 
:: Gene Randall in Washington
:: DAVID CORN, "THE NATION" MAGAZINE
:: DONALD LAMBRO, "WASHINGTON TIMES"
:: ALEXIS SIMENDINGER, "NATIONAL JOURNAL"
:: 
:: 
:: RANDALL: Don, you've got a story today about what could happen if
:: Republicans press for impeachment on, basically, a sex case against the
:: president. A Democratic scorched-earth policy against the GOP. Tell us
:: about that?
:: 
:: LAMBRO: Well, a number of reports, and I talked to other Democrats who
:: confirm this, that if this goes to House of Representatives, if there is
:: an impeachment inquiry, it is going to be a scorched-earth policy by the
:: Democrats to go after the Republicans in the House, in the leadership,
:: dig up all the dirt they can on leadership, on members, Republican members
:: of the House Judiciary Committee. It's going to be the same thing they
:: did in campaign finance scandal -- Everybody does it, what's the big deal.
:: 
:: RANDALL: Would this fly?
:: 
:: CORN: Well, people I talk to don't really have a -- it's more a sentiment
:: than a plan. And I don't think it's actually going to come into being
:: because we're not even going to get close to impeachment, because it's
:: just not in the Republicans' political interest to drag this stuff up,
:: and if people go back look at what Newt Gingrich did with his first
:: wife, and all this stuff. It's just -- they have no political interest
:: in doing this, so they will not do so.
:: 
:: RANDALL: We got to get Alexis in here.
:: 
:: SIMENDINGER: You don't need to execute the plan. You just have to let
:: people think it's out there, and it's going to have a chilling effect.
:: 
:: LAMBRO: The Democrats, I think, are closer than you think. They just hired
:: three lawyers to prepare them for impeachment on the Judiciary Committee.
:: 
:: CORN: Well, how many have the Republicans hired already; they have a
:: whole task force on impeachment that has been studying the issue. They
:: are going to blink. They are not going to do this.
:: 
:: LAMBRO: All right, three attorneys to prepare them for impeachment
:: proceedings.
:: 
:: RANDALL: Let's all take time to blink, because we must take a
:: break. Coming up, memories of Watergate and those who caution on getting
:: those memories straight. Stay with is.
:: 
:: (COMMERCIAL BREAK)