There are 250 GOP members of Congress. 197 Representatives and 53 Senators.

27 of the 250 were in Congress in 1998 when Clinton was impeached.

And 25 of them - 10% OF ALL REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS TODAY (and 92% of the old-timers) - voted to impeach and/or remove Clinton.

Which brings a lot of the talking points of Trump’s defenders back into focus.

Impeachment is “overturning the will of the people?” Really? So then did 10% of the Republicans in Congress today vote to overturn the will of the people as expressed in the election of 1996?

And of course there is the question of what is an impeachable offense.

The fact that they voted to impeach and/or remove Clinton from office means that they’d have to acknowledge that such offenses do exist.

So what are they?

Clinton cheated on his wife and then broke the law by committing perjury. And obstructing the investigation.

Trump cheated on his wife and then broke the law by directing his then-personal attorney to break the law. And he’s obstructed multiple investigations.

Clinton’s wrongdoing did not involve soliciting election contributions from a foreign government, the misuse of taxpayer money, bribery or blackmail.

But 10% of today’s Congressional Republicans voted to impeach/remove Clinton. But not Trump.

They should be asked to explain.

Here are the present-day members of Congress who voted to impeach and/or remove Bill Clinton in 1998-99:

Members of the House who were in the House in 1998:

1) Chris Smith (R-NJ)
2) Don Young (R-AK)
3) Frank Lucas (R-OK)
4) Fred Upton (R-MI)
5) Hal Rogers (R-KY)

6) Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI)
7) John Shimkus (R-IL)
8) Kay Granger (R-TX)
9) Ken Calvert (R-CA)
10) Kevin Brady (R-TX)
11) Mac Thornberry (R-TX)
12) Robert Aderholt (R-AL)
13) Steve Chabot (R-OH)

Members of the US Senate now who were in the House in 1998 and voted to impeach Clinton:

14) Jerry Moran (R-KS)
15) Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
16) Mike Crapo (R-ID)
17) Richard Burr (R-NC)
18) Rob Portman (R-OH)
19) Roy Blunt (R-MO)

Crapo is unique here in that he was in the House in 1998 and in the Senate in 1999. He voted to impeach Clinton as well as to remove him from office.

Members of the US Senate who voted to remove Clinton in 1999:
20) Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
21) Jim Inhofe (R-OK)

22) Mike Enzi (R-WY)
23) Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
24) Pat Roberts (R-KS)
25) Richard Shelby (R-AL)

One more interesting point in comparing the impeachment of Clinton in 1998 with today’s possible impeachment of Trump is that one of the articles of impeachment that did not pass was that of Abuse Of Power.

Which 12 of the present-day members of Congress voted for.

And this article of impeachment from 1998 which 12 current members of Congress voted for begs another legitimate question.

How is it that Clinton abused his power but Trump somehow did not?

All of these are fair questions.

Interestingly, one member of Congress has been in office for the impeachment of Clinton AND the near-impeachment of Nixon.

Don Young has been in office since 1973. And if Trump is impeached, Young will have been present for all but one of America’s Presidential impeachments.

There are two Republican members of Congress who have been in office since the Clinton days but who did not vote to impeach or remove him.

Peter King (R-NY) did not vote to impeach Clinton.

Susan Collins (R-ME) did not vote to remove Clinton.