2yr One hundred eight yearn ofedzrtoralfiedm *rti The Trial of President lm Jefferson Clinton Friday February 12 1999 Senators acquit Clinton on both articles; censure still possible WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate today acquitted William Jefferson Clinton of perjury and obstruction of justice, ending a 13-month drama that catapulted an affair with a White House intern into only the second presidential impeachment trial in history. Permitted to finish his term, the 42nd president declared he was "1profoundly sorry ... for what I said and did." "This can be and this must be a time of reconciliation and renewal for America," Clinton said in a brief statement from the White House Rose Garden about two hours after the historic verdict. Chief Justice William Rehnquist pronounced Clinton's acquittal at 12:39 EST. "It is therefore ordered and adjudged that the said William Jefferson Clinton be and he hereby is acquitted of the charges in the said articles," he intoned. Senators voted 50-50 on the impeachment article accusing THE VERDICT: Clinton of obstruction of justice in concealing his affair with Monica 8 Article I: perjury to a Lewinsky, far short of the two-thirds federal grand jury required for conviction. Earlier, sen- 55 not guilty ators rejected the charge of perjury 45 guilty by a 55-45 vote, as 10 Republicans joined the Democrats. "Congress has strengthened, not Shortly after the votes, Rehnquist weakened the ties that bind our banged his gavel to end the five- nation together." week trial. - Rep. Henry Hyde (R-ill.) Senators then rejected an effort by Article II: obstruction of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), to justice force a vote today on her recommen- 50 not guilty dation to censure the president for 50 guilty "shameful, reckless and indefensi- ble" behavior. The symbolic effort, "This was a rebuke. There is no which several Democrats said would question." not be 'revivedlater on, was a - Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle reminder that, acquittal aside, Clinton remains forever tarnished as only the second president in history to be impeached. Clinton was in the White House residence during the vote but did not watch it on television. Later he expressed his remorse. "Now that the Senate has fulfilled its constitutional responsibility, bringing this process to a conclusion, I want to say again to the American people how profoundly sorry I am for what I said and did to trigger these events and the great burden they have imposed on the Congress and the American people," the president read. See CLINTON, Page IiI tBOYE: President nton speaks to the public In the Rose Garden today. In the brief speech, Clinton apologized to the nation. RIGHT: Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist presides over the Senate vote today in the Senate chamber. AP PHOTOS Outcome interests students By Jewel Gopwanl and Nin|||ScI. Daily Staff Reporters Just as their opinions about whether President Clinton should be removed from office differed, students displayed a range of reactions to the scene unfold- ing in the nation's capitol today - a scene that put an end to the scandal that captured the country's attention for more than a year. Whether students positioned them- selves to see the television at the Michigan Union or lowered their heads into their books, silence replaced the normal lunchtime chatter and rustling wrappers of the noon hour in the Union's underground food court. A small crowd gathered around the Union's television as U.S. senators tal- lied their votes, deciding to acquit the nation's 42nd president. LSA first-year student Ben Erickson, who closely followed the first vote, was "It was just a train that the Republican senators couldn't stop."f - Mike Kagan Law sophomore a part of the small collection of stu- dents. "It seems like this should be a pretty historic moment,' he said. Erickson said he wasn't surprised by the Senate's vote and he thought others shared his opinion. "I think most people already know what the outcome is going to be." Although some students took the lunchtime hour to scrutinize the historic event, others carried on with their regu- lar routine. At the same moment as Erickson watched the trial results intently, LSA sophomore Arielle Bogorad sent out an e-mail message, paying little attention to the verdict. "I'm interested, but I have to stay on top of occurrences in.school," Bogorad said. While eating lunch, Engineering junior Christine Cleasly read a newspa- per instead of watching the national event on the nearby television screen. "It's hard to keep track of the impeachment trial,' Cleasly said. As the 45-minute Senate voting process drew to a close, student interest at the West Quad Residence Hall dining area varied between apathetic and con- cerned. See STUDENTS, Page Ill Levm, Abraham cast conflicting votes By Kelly O'Connor offenses' he said, "He went back too far, went too long and spec Daily Staff Reporters Levin also said he was pleased with the bipartisan much money in his effort to find dirt on the Presi In this four-page special section: nt too dent," As today's final votes in the Senate trial of President Clinton were tallied, the role of Michigan's two senators were crucial in the last chapter of this historic event. Sen. Spencer Abraham (R-Mich.) was the first name spirit that characterized the Senate trial. "There was an extraordinary effort by everyone to reach a conclusion every senator was comfortable with," he said. i m. . caiA hl a .,c. rnrnrpt-,A Levin said. But Sen. Spencer Abraham (R-Mich.) said today in a written statement that in order to preserve the Constitution and the law,ci-f the rcountrv he voted to con- An editorial from The Michigan Daily - page II Outline of the events that led to today - page 11 University community members share their opinions on the judgment - page Il-ll I II I