The following is a statement from the Senate’s closed deliberations on the Articles of Impeachment against President Clinton, excerpts of which senators were allowed to publish in the Congressional Record for Friday, February 12, 1999.

Senator George Voinovich was a Republican senator from Ohio. He served from 1999 until 2011.

Statement by Senator George Voinovich (Republican – Ohio)

We are not here today because the President had a relationship that he himself has described as inappropriate and wrong. As House Manager James Rogan appropriately noted, ‘Had the President’s bad choice simply ended with this indiscretion, we would not be here today. Adultery may be a lot of things, but it is not an impeachable offense. Unfortunately, the President’s bad choices only grew worse.’ It is not the President’s inappropriate relationship, but his deliberate and willful attempts to conceal and mislead that brings us to this point. [Read more…]