Quote:
Originally Posted by Mick
Because um, are you being deliberately obtuse?
He was found guilty in the House of Representatives on the two counts, as I said above. Lying under oath and trying to obstruct justice. His party, The Democrats came to his rescue in the Senate. Impeachment is not a standard Judiciary of proceedings like a court room based on evidence, it’s purely a partisan political circus. Bill Clinton lied under oath, that is a federal crime that carries a 5 year prison sentence, but Democrats aligned with their lying President and cleared him via a political motion.
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He wasn't found guilty of anything by the House - they submitted a resolution to impeach him on two grounds - perjury to a grand jury, and obstruction of justice - and then they were approved.
Impeachment is a political process, being found guilty of something is a legal process (impeachment can lead to further legal proceedings, but in itself is not a legal process).
Once the bill had passed though the House, it went to the Senate for an impeachment trial (actually overseen by a Judge) - they did not get a super-majority of votes required to find him guilty (67 out of 100) - it was 45-55 on one charge, 50-50 on the other (5 Republicans voted with the Democrats on that one).
So Clinton was acquitted, and that means, no matter how many times you say it, he wasn't found guilty.