'This Week' in History: Remembering Senator Byrd
Sen. Robert Byrd sits down with Cokie Roberts on 'This Week' in 1999
July 3, 2010— -- This Week the nation has been remembering the the longest serving member of Congress, Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV), who died Monday at the age of 92. Sen. Byrd was considered the patriarch of the Senate with a deep respect for and allegiance to the traditions and significance of the institution.
Senator Byrd's respect for Senate rules were tested in 1999 when he and his colleagues were confronted with a vote on articles of impeachment against President Clinton arising from the Monica Lewinsky investigation and whether the President's false testimony to a grand jury should be deemed a "high crime" by the President.
"His actions hurt me, you, all of the institutions of government – hurt the presidency, the executive branch, the House of Representatives, the Senate and the Judiciary to some extent," Sen. Byrd told "This Week" co-anchor Cokie Roberts. "I think we all ought to […] think of healing the country. […] What's in the best interest of the nation?"
Sen. Byrd also expressed his personal comprehension of the gravity of his work and the importance of doing the right thing. "I have to live with myself. I have to live with my conscience. And I have to live with the Constitution. And that Constitution is just like the Bible – you can't write it over."
Watch Cokie Roberts' interview with Sen. Byrd from 1999. Be sure to tune in on Sunday for the newest edition of "This Week" when Jake Tapper will interview Byrd's longtime colleague Sen. John McCain from Afghanistan.
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