The 1999 #SenateTrial: There is an incomplete account of the 1999 Clinton trial circulating. It leaves the impression that Repub leader Lott and Dem leader Daschle amicably produced a unanimous vote for a rules to govern the trial.
Note: Senate rules governing a trial do NOT provide for a "motion to dismiss." Supplementary rules must be adopted to create such a motion. Witnesses & a motion to dismiss, and the timing of each, were controversial within both parties in late 1998.
Only once the trial was officially started did a set of rules gain support. It provided for a motion to dismiss and motions to allow witnesses AFTER the two sides presented their cases and senators had an opportunity to question them.
The motion to dismiss was defeated 44-56 (Repubs 0-55, Dems 44-1). Then a motion to depose 3 witnesses was adopted 56-44 (Repubs 55-0, Dems 1-44). Lewinsky was deposed but Repubs decided that her testimony was not helpful & did not make it public.
So--Lott & Daschle worked together to try to lend order to the process. They failed to get new rules before the proceedings started and struggled with party-line votes on dismissal and witnesses. They did NOT avoid party-line votes on the key procedural issues.
Lott & Daschle avoided strong rhetoric themselves, but they were unable to bring along all of their party colleagues to get a set of rules in place in advance of trial. They voted with their party colleagues on the dismissal and witness votes.
