Paying the Price for Perjury

October 20, 1998 How serious is perjury? Well, according to Representative Bill McCollum, there are 115 men and women in jail at the moment for having committed perjury in federal courts and before grand juries. These men and women are forever marked as felons, and those who served in office were stripped of their office when they were sentenced to prison.

Congressman McCollum then asked, "Should the president of the United States be held to the same standard as all American citizens, or should he be placed above the law?" Good question, and one we should ask of ourselves and our friends.

No one disputes that the president lied under oath. Even the president's defenders admit to that. And though some would dispute whether that constitutes perjury, I think most Americans would accept that his actions would be defined as perjury.

So with that as background, consider another question by Congressman McCollum. He asked, "When people believe the president of the United States can lie, commit perjury and get away with it, what are they going to say the next time they go to court?"

And what about public officials who committed perjury while in office? Congressman McCollum cited the cases of Judge Walter Nixon and Judge Alcee Hastings, both impeached by votes of 417-0 and 413-3 by the House of Representatives for committing perjury. Both were stripped of office.

Should the president of the United States be held to the same standard? Should Congress vote to impeach a president who engaged in the same actions as others who were impeached? These are questions the House Judiciary Committee will have to consider, but they are also questions each American must answer as well.

I'm Kerby Anderson of Probe Ministries, and that's my opinion.