Sen. Strom Thurmond administers oath to Chief Justice William Rehnquist at opening of the impeachment trial. (C-SPAN)

This is an archive of Washington Post news and feature stories from January 1999 about the accusations against President Clinton. Links to coverage from other months are on the News Archive page.

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From Sunday, January 31

Poll: Most Oppose Continuing Trial
While the public remains firmly against removing President Clinton from office, most Americans believe the Senate should censure him. Small majorities oppose the decisions to continue the impeachment trial with witnesses.

• Sense of History May Pull Senate Together
• Clinton Plans to Be Here for Senate Vote
• Senators Fiercely Partisan but Still Civil
• Voters Pledging Payback in 2000
• Landow Denies Authorizing Probe

From Saturday, January 30

Senate Subpoenas Three, Ponders New Plan
The Senate delivered subpoenas to Monica S. Lewinsky and two other witnesses in President Clinton's impeachment trial, as some senators raised concerns about a budding plan to condemn Clinton's behavior without removing him from office.

• Leaders Pick Senators for Depositions
• Man Says He Was Hired in Willey Matter
• Gag Order Issued for Steele
• Md. Seeks to Question Tripp's Ex-Lawyer
• Senate Is Chaplain's Congregation

From Friday, January 29

Senate Aims for Final Vote in Mid-February
The Senate approved a plan intended to end President Clinton's impeachment trial by Feb. 12 but broke along party lines for the second day in a row as the Republican majority outvoted Democrats who wanted to bar Monica S. Lewinsky from testifying on the Senate floor.

• Clinton Aides Now Tossing Darts at GOP
• The Majority Rules – As Usual
• GOP Senators Treading Gingerly
• Collins: A Freshman Plays the Endgame
• Feingold: Maverick or Turncoat?
• Outline of Trial Procedures

Online Extras:
• Senate Rules for Deposing Witnesses
• Senate Roll Call Vote on GOP Plan
• Vote on Democratic Alternative
• Vote on Plan to Begin Final Debate

From Thursday, January 28

Senate GOP Still Hopes for Bipartisanship
Senators are trading ideas on a Republican plan to depose three witnesses by Monday, consider calling live witnesses Tuesday, hear testimony if necessary and finish the trial soon after.

• Senators Say Trial Must Go On
• Breaking Ranks, Feingold Stands Alone
• Analysis: Republicans Risk Wrath
• Defense Team Debates Its Next Steps
• Senators Again Mulling Censure Options
• Republicans Can't Win for Winning
• The Managers: Heros of the Proletariat?
• Man With Weapons Arrested at Capitol

Online Extras:
• Roll Call: Motion to Dismiss
• Roll Call: Motion to Call Witnesses
• 3-D Panorama: The Talk After the Vote

From Wednesday, January 27

House GOP Asks for 3 Witnesses
House Republican prosecutors proposed a dramatically scaled-back witness list, asking to subpoena just Monica Lewinsky and two advisers to President Clinton, while simultaneously petitioning the Senate to invite the president himself to answer questions under oath.

• Analysis: GOP Poised to End Bipartisanship
• Analysis: For Prosecutors, Trade-Offs
• GOP 'Moderates' Take Center Stage
• Journal: Trial Comes to Fork in the Road
• Court Reinstates Hubbell Tax Case
• From a Distance: An Amused Novelist
• From a Distance: An Amused Novelist
• Sarbanes Now Favors Open Senate Debate
• Media Upset as Trial Goes Dark
• The Route of the Problem
• Excerpts from Tuesday's Debate
.

From Tuesday, January 26

In Closed Session, Senate Searches for Way Out
Capping a day of false starts and clumsy attempts at compromise, the Senate retreated behind closed doors in an anxious search for a resolution to President Clinton's impeachment trial.

• GOP Struggling for Graceful Exit
• Senate Votes to Close the Doors
• And Now With the News... Jay Leno
• Flailing Senate in Search of a Strategy
• High Schoolers Do It Better
• Impeachment E-Mail Swamps the Hill
• Lewinsky Asks for OK to Do Interviews
• Daschle Maneuvers Help Democrats
• Tom Harkin, Trial's Objector-in-Chief
• Lewinsky Makes Senators Uncomfortable
• Senate Is Formality's Last Refuge

Online Extras:
• Text: Senate Questions Posed to Clinton
• Roll Call of Senate Vote on Deliberations

From Monday, January 25

Key GOP Senators Urge Trial's End
House prosecutors interviewed Monica Lewinsky even as several key Republican senators signaled opposition to such a move and urged a quick end to the proceedings.

• N.J. 'Focus Group' Ready for Conclusion
• Debates Could Be Behind Closed Doors
• Bumpers Sought to Unite Democrats
• Lewinsky Pulled Back Into Washington
• Return of the World's Most Famous Intern
• Media Notes: Hooray for Larry Flynt?

From Sunday, January 24

Judge Orders Lewinsky to Cooperate
A federal judge acting at the request of independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr ordered Monica S. Lewinsky Saturday to talk with House prosecutors, igniting hours of testy debate and further polarizing the Senate at a decisive moment in President Clinton's impeachment trial.

• Judge Orders Lewinsky Interview
• Senate's Split Clouds Effort to End Trial
• Starr Again Emerges in the Middle
• 'Unshakable' Hyde Fights to the Finish
• A Manager Makes Room For Doubts
• Rehnquist Opinion Key to Arguments
• Lewinsky Is Back, and Everyone Knows It
• Possible Interview Topics

Online Extras:
• Full Text: Starr's Motion on Lewinsky Interview
• Full Text: Judge's Order to Lewinsky
• Full Text: Harkin's Letter to Rehnquist

From Saturday, January 23

Starr Tries to Force Lewinsky Interview
Independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr, stepping into the middle of President Clinton's impeachment trial, went to federal court to try to force former White House intern Monica S. Lewinsky to talk with the House Republican "managers" prosecuting the case in the Senate.

• Momentum for Quick End to Trial Grows
• Prosecutors, Defense Trade Arguments
• Air Goes Out of Impeachment Balloon
• Byrd: The Soul of the U.S. Senate
• Rehnquist's Character Emerges
• Off the Floor: Where the Action Is

Online Extras:
• Full Text: Byrd Statement

From Friday, January 22

Senators Look for Ways to Halt Proceedings
As the White House wrapped up its defense presentation, several Senate Republicans said they are now leaning against calling witnesses to testify in President Clinton's impeachment trial.

• Bumpers Asks for End to 'Nightmare'
• Blending Roles in Hour of Drama
• House Team Seeks Time to Rebut
• Attentive Through the Tedium
• Texan Couple: Nation Must Come First
• Carville Hoax Retracted
• Looking Over the Senate's Shoulder

Online Extras:
• Full Text: Bumpers's Senate Speech
• Full Text: Kendall's Senate Speech

From Thursday, January 21

Clinton's Lawyers Deconstruct Allegations
In a chart-by-chart, charge-by-charge rebuttal to the prosecution, White House lawyers deconstructed the allegations against President Clinton to try to show that they amount to "trivial" disputes and distorted evidence overblown into a constitutional crisis.

• Democrats May Try for a Quick Vote
• Cheryl Mills: A Star is Born
• Senators Plot Strategy for Question Period
• Analysis: Whittling Down the House Case
• Down the Rabbit Hole and Into the Senate
• Excerpts From the Defense

From Wednesday, January 20

Clinton Defense Calls Charges 'Witches Brew'
President Clinton's chief lawyer opened the White House defense presentation today with a scathing rebuttal of the House impeachment case, calling it the product of "spider webs" of conjecture and "prosecutorial fudgemaking."

• Trial Journal: Clinton on the High Wire
• Opening Defense Impresses Both Sides
• Analysis: Ruff Jabs at Prosecution
• Ex-Senator Bumpers Joins Clinton Defense
• Woman in Willey Case Pleads Not Guilty
• Jones's Lawyers Battle Over Fees
• Excerpts From Ruff's Defense | Full Text
• From Style: Battle Over Morality
• America's Voiceless Vote With the Remote

Online Extras:
• Audio and Video From the Senate Floor
• State of the Union Special Report

From Tuesday, January 19

Daschle: Calling Witnesses 'May Be Inevitable'
Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle said it "may be inevitable" that Republicans will vote to call witnesses over the Democrats' objections.

• Defense Must Prove More Than Innocence
• Clinton to Address Congress, the Nation
• State of the Union: Crafting the Speech
• Va.'s Robb Conspicuously Quiet on Trial

From Monday, January 18

White House Defense to Stress Conflicts
President Clinton's legal team plans to lay out a defense that will plunge into the conflict-laden factual record about the president's relationship with Monica S. Lewinsky.

• The Starr Witness for the White House
• White House Might Call Starr as Witness
• From Style: Prosecution and Persecution

From Sunday, January 17

Hyde Warns of 'Permanent Damage' to Presidency
Summoning the ghosts of war dead and the lessons of history, House prosecutors wrapped up their opening presentation at President Clinton's impeachment trial with a call to restore the "sacred honor" of the presidency.

• House Case Impresses Senators
• Response Vindicates House Prosecutors
• The Presentation: Lofty and Plainspoken
• Analysis: 'Cleansing' the White House
• Reaction: One Couple's Annoyance

Online Extras:
• Trial Transcripts

From Saturday, January 16

Day Two: Prosecutors Press for Witnesses
The House prosecution team tied its case against President Clinton tightly to the credibility of Monica S. Lewinsky during the second day of arguments in his impeachment trial and implored senators who do not take her word over his to ask them both to testify.

• Some GOP Moderates Want Testimony
• Managers to Make Case for Removal
• Could Clinton Be Subpoenaed?
• Senators Consider Vows of Silence
• Trial Journal: More Than a Jury
• Medical Journal Editor Fired
• GOP Leader Seeks Investigation of Flynt
• Clinton Lawyer Quizzes Tripp at Deposition
• From Style: Double Trouble

Online Extras:
• Trial Transcripts
• Q&A: Alan Dershowitz Online

From Friday, January 15

House Prosecutors Open the Case Against Clinton
A team of House Republican prosecutors opened their case against President Clinton and urged the senators sitting as jurors in his impeachment trial to vindicate "the rule of law" by demonstrating that "the president of the United States has no license to lie under oath."

• Prosecutors' Hurdle: Making Case Fresh
• In Back Rooms, Next Steps Are Weighed
• On the Floor, First Day Wore On, On, On
• State of Union Puts GOP in a Dilemma
• From White House, Strategic Silence
• As a Jury, Senate Is Full of Conflicts
• A Shift in Venue Alters Pressure
• House GOP Won't Seek Willey's Testimony
• View From Detroit: Plague on Both Houses
• Classrooms Struggle With Scandal
• Shales: A Real Trial for Viewers
• Anchor Dan Rather's 'Momentous Day'
• Diary: The Feeling is Unanimous

Online Extras:
• Trial Transcripts
• Audio and Video
• Text: House Reply to Clinton Trial Memo
• Q&A: Post Senior Writer Bob Kaiser

From Thursday, January 14

Clinton Confident; Prosecutors Set to Begin
On the eve of opening arguments in his Senate impeachment trial, President Clinton broke his silence Wednesday to argue that his conduct did not justify throwing him out of office.

• Senators Prepare for History
• Process: Questions and Answers
• House Managers: 13 Angry Prosecutors
• Decorum: Senators Circulate 'Guidelines'
• Trent Lott: Looking for Order on the Hill
• James Carville: A Party Animal

Online Extras:
• Text: White House Trial Memorandum
• Text: Clinton Comments on Impeachment
• Hotline Founder Doug Bailey Answered Questions Online

From Wednesday, January 13

Case Closed: Clinton Pays Jones Settlement
President Clinton sent an $850,000 check to Paula Jones, finally closing out the sexual harassment lawsuit that continues to imperil his presidency, and in a surprise move, financed nearly half the settlement with his own money.

• President's Jury: 100 Interested Parties
• Trial Has Yet to Dent Senate Business
• C-SPAN Strikes Flynt

From Tuesday, January 12

House, Clinton Lawyers Lay Out Case for Senate
The prosecution and defense in President Clinton's impeachment trial laid out their cases in writing for the Senate jurors who will decide his fate.

• Managers Warn of Trial's Future Impact
• Flynt Calls Rep. Barr a Hypocrite

Online Extras:
• Full Text: White House Defense
• Full Text: House Trial Brief

From Monday, January 11

Despite Agreements, Party Lines Divide Senate
For all of the talk of bipartisanship, Republicans and Democrats in the Senate remain split not only on key issues such as witnesses or censure but also on whether the allegations against President Clinton are serious enough to remove a president from office.

• Analysis: Clinton Looks to History Books
• Larry Flynt: Both Ears to the Ground
• Media: 'Love Child' Story Is an Orphan

From Sunday, January 10

How House, Clinton May State the Case
The Senate trial of President Clinton could look like anything from a tedious rehashing of the existing evidence to a full O.J. Simpson-style spectacle.

• Consensus Reached After Twists and Turns
• Legacies Echo Through Clinton's Crisis
• GOP Analysts Fear Long-Term Damage
• In Outlook: Don't Worry, We've Got Your Number
• In Outlook: If We Ask It Right, You Answer Well

From Saturday, January 9

Senate Forges Agreement on Trial Procedure
The Senate on Friday broke a partisan impasse that had threatened to rupture its impeachment trial of President Clinton from the start, forging a unanimous agreement to begin hearing the case next week while postponing the critical decision on whether to call witnesses.

• Senate Strives to Be Senatorial
• Day Two: Club Frames Compromise
• Clinton Focuses on Economic Progress
• Impeachment Raises Questions of Faith
• Humor: The Pitch for Tripp
• Text: Senate Impeachment Trial Resolution

From Friday, January 8

Clinton Trial Opens With Rules Unsettled
The United States Senate opened the first impeachment trial of a president in 131 years on Thursday, starting on a solemn note with the formal reading of charges and administering of oaths but quickly grinding to a halt amid deep disagreements over what to do next.

• Day One: Trial Is Real but Without Form
• Senate Quest for Accord Reflects Contrast
• Woman Who Disputed Willey Is Indicted
• Tripp 'Urgently' Seeks Donations
• Dispute Centers Around Witnesses
• House Republicans Are Target of Wrath
• Excerpts From Daschle and Lott
• Public Shuffles Through History
• The View From the Double T Diner
• A City Obsessed With Process

From Thursday, January 7

Managers Plan for Live Testimony
With the impeachment trial of President Clinton set to open in the morning, House prosecutors plan to call as many as 10 witnesses, including Monica S. Lewinsky, despite uncertainty about whether the Senate will agree to hear them.

• Chief Justice at the Helm
• Senate Republicans Sour on Censure
• Senate Faces Legal Quandaries
• Starr Tried to Limit Leak Probe
• Two From Ole Miss Hitting It Big
• Freshmen Split on House Vote
• Area Senators Hold Varied Views

From Wednesday, January 6

Senate Impeachment Trial Will Open on Thursday
The impeachment trial of President Clinton will open in the Senate on Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott announced as Senate leaders struggled to reach agreement on basic procedural questions.

• Trend in GOP Is Against Quick Vote
• Santorum Sees Risks in Vote on Clinton

From Tuesday, January 5

Clinton Defense to Attack Evidence at Senate Trial
President Clinton's defense team has concluded that it effectively ceded too much of the factual battleground during impeachment proceedings in the House and plans to shift strategy in the Senate away from constitutional arguments to a more concentrated attack on the evidence.

• Two Senators Bridge Gulf With Trial Plan

From Monday, January 4

Senate Divided Over How to Proceed With Trial
Key senators strongly disagreed over whether the Senate should end the impeachment trial of President Clinton after a few days if a test vote shows he will not be convicted.

• (The Last) Trial of the Century!

From Sunday, January 3

GOP Split Over Trial of Clinton
When Congress comes back to work, it resumes a divisive impeachment process that has already brought months of anguish to both the nation and its leaders.

From Saturday, January 2

• Clintons Are Most Admired Man, Woman

From Friday, January 1

Lott Searching for Consensus
Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott intensely canvassed fellow senators about his plan for an expedited trial of President Clinton amid a backlash of criticism from some conservative senators who vigorously object to Lott's approach.

• Analysis: Lott's Plan Looks to 2000 Election