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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release December 10, 1998

                       STATEMENT BY GREG CRAIG
                   SPECIAL COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT

The White House

5:30 p.m. EST

MR. CRAIG: Good evening. I have a brief statement I'd like to read.

During the President's presentation to the committee, we tried to elevate the discourse, to eliminate the partisanship, and to improve the tone of the debate. We made a powerful case on the facts, the law and the Constitution, that there are no grounds for impeachment and removal of the President of the United States.

For that reason, we are disappointed and saddened that the committee majority brought this solemn, Constitutional process down to a level of innuendo, anger and unfair, unsubstantiated charges.

Let me make just one plea to the members of the House of Representatives on behalf of the President of the United States: before you vote to impeach and remove the President, read the defense of the President. Read the majority counsel's brief and read the minority counsel's brief. And then be guided by your conscience and your judgment as to the national interest.

Thank you very much.

END 5:32 p.m. EST