President Bill Clinton Was Impeached – This Day in History

On December 19, 1998, the United States House of Representatives voted to impeach President Bill Clinton, making him only the second president in U.S. history—after Andrew Johnson—to be impeached. The decision marked a dramatic moment in American politics, reflecting deep partisan divisions and igniting a national debate over presidential conduct, accountability, and the limits of impeachment.

The impeachment stemmed from an investigation originally focused on a failed Arkansas real estate venture known as Whitewater. Independent counsel Kenneth Starr, appointed to investigate the matter, ultimately found no evidence of wrongdoing related to the real estate deal. However, the investigation expanded to include allegations that President Clinton had engaged in an inappropriate relationship with Monica Lewinsky, a former White House intern, and had lied about it under oath. In January 1998, Clinton publicly denied the relationship, declaring, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman,” a statement that would later become central to the case against him.

As evidence mounted—including testimony, documents, and Lewinsky’s own account—Clinton eventually acknowledged that he had engaged in an “inappropriate” relationship but maintained that it did not meet the legal definition of sexual relations and that his actions did not warrant impeachment. Starr submitted his findings to Congress in September 1998 in a highly publicized report that accused the president of perjury, obstruction of justice, and abuse of power.

After weeks of intense debate, the House voted largely along party lines to approve two articles of impeachment. Clinton was impeached for perjury before a grand jury and obstruction of justice, while two other proposed articles—one for perjury in a civil deposition and another for abuse of power—failed to pass. Republicans argued that lying under oath and attempting to interfere with the judicial process undermined the rule of law and disqualified Clinton from office. Democrats countered that the charges involved a personal matter unrelated to presidential duties and did not rise to the level of “high crimes and misdemeanors” as outlined in the Constitution.

The impeachment did not remove Clinton from office. In early 1999, the case moved to the U.S. Senate, which held a trial presided over by Chief Justice William Rehnquist. The Senate ultimately acquitted Clinton on both charges, falling well short of the two-thirds majority required for conviction and removal. Clinton completed his second term with high approval ratings, buoyed by a strong economy and budget surpluses.

The impeachment of President Clinton remains a defining episode in modern American history. It highlighted the power of congressional oversight, the political nature of impeachment, and the challenges of separating personal misconduct from public responsibility. More than two decades later, the events of December 19, 1998, continue to shape discussions about executive power, partisanship, and the constitutional mechanisms designed to hold leaders accountable.