How suburban representatives voted on the Clinton impeachment
When the U.S. House impeached President Bill Clinton 21 years ago, most of the suburban Chicago representatives in Congress at the time supported the charges.
Perhaps not surprisingly, nearly all of them were Republicans. That's not the case for President Donald Trump, who this week faces impeachment by a House controlled by the Democratic Party, to which all the current Chicago-area representatives belong.
But as in the case against Trump, the battlefield during Clinton's impeachment in late 1998 largely was divided by party allegiance.
Four articles of impeachment were levied against Clinton. One alleged the president lied to a grand jury; a second accused him of perjury in a lawsuit; the third alleged obstruction of justice; the fourth accused Clinton of abusing his power.
The Republican lawmakers in the suburban delegation were united in support of the first three charges.
Two, however, voted against impeaching Clinton on Article 4: Rep. John Porter of Wilmette, who represented the 10th District, and Rep. Harris Fawell of Naperville, of the 13th District.
The lone Democrat serving the North or Northwest suburbs then, 9th District Rep. Sidney Yates of Chicago, toed his party's line and voted against all four articles of impeachment.
Ultimately, the U.S. House voted to impeach Clinton on two charges: lying to the grand jury and attempting to obstruct justice. Two months later, he was acquitted by the U.S. Senate.
Republican U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde of Wood Dale chaired the House Judiciary Committee and served as chief prosecutor during Clinton's trial in the Senate.
In an October 1998 interview with the Daily Herald, Hyde, who represented the 6th District, said it was "pretty clear" Clinton perjured himself when he denied a sexual relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
"There isn't much doubt that he did willfully misstate the facts under oath," said Hyde, who retired in 2007 and died later that year.
Republican U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo supported all four impeachment counts, too. A resident of Ogle County, Manzullo's 16th District stretched into McHenry County at the time.
"America cannot have a leader who lies to his people," Manzullo said in a 1998 Daily Herald article. He remained in the House until 2013.
Porter initially said he preferred censuring Clinton rather than impeaching him. But as evidence grew, he changed his stance.
"If there are no consequences for the president's conduct, a horrible message would be sent to our children and grandchildren about telling the truth, about taking responsibility for one's actions and about providing an example of leadership and ethical standards for our country," Porter said at the time.
After the votes, Porter said he opposed the fourth article because he considered it redundant.
Porter, who retired from Congress in 2001, called the Clinton impeachment the most difficult decision of his public career.
Fawell said he voted to impeach on three of the four articles because of Clinton's repeated denials that he committed perjury.
"He risks all if he continues with (that)," Fawell said before the impeachment vote.
Fawell retired from Congress in January 1999, just weeks after the House's impeachment vote but before the Senate took up the case.
The other representatives serving the Chicago suburbs in 1998 were Republicans who supported all four articles of impeachment: Phil Crane of Wauconda in the 8th District, Jerry Weller of Morris in the 11th District, and Dennis Hastert of Yorkville in the 14th District. Hastert was named House speaker shortly before the Senate trial.
When it came time for the Senate to vote, Illinois' two senators were divided. Republican Peter Fitzgerald of Inverness voted guilty on both charges, while Democrat Dick Durbin of Springfield voted to acquit Clinton.