The House of Representatives impeached President Bill Clinton on Dec. 19, 1998. It was a Saturday. The votes, in which two articles of impeachment passed, were held around midday. By 3 p.m., the House had passed a resolution naming its impeachment managers, and those managers had physically delivered the articles to the Senate for trial.

Impeachment was on. The House, controlled by a Republican majority, was serious about its ultimately failed effort to remove Clinton from office.