1998年投票支持弹劾前总统比尔·克林顿的两名民主党人敦促共和党议员在决定是否弹劾唐纳德·特朗普总统时“遵守法律”，并“着眼于历史”。
前民主党代表保罗·麦克海尔和吉恩·泰勒告诉记者，他们是唯一一位投票支持所有四项弹劾条款的民主党国会议员新闻周刊共和党人在考虑如何投票弹劾时必须抛开党派偏见。
后来在小布什政府任职的麦克黑尔也表示，弹劾法案的投票“发人深省”，而且“与众议院的普通事务大不相同”
他们的评论是在民主党人看来准备好的时候发表的正式启动弹劾调查本周晚些时候，为了给共和党声称的这个过程缺乏众议院授权的说法泼冷水。
如果民主党领导的众议院批准弹劾调查的正式化，众议院议长南希·佩洛西在周一发出的一封信中告诉立法者，听证会和证词抄本将“向美国人民开放”
9月24日，佩洛西发起了对特朗普总统的弹劾调查。此前，一名告密者在唐纳德·特朗普和乌克兰总统沃洛季米尔·泽兰斯基7月的电话中发出警报，当时美国总司令敦促他的对手对潜在的政治对手乔·拜登展开调查。
特朗普还被指控在同意调查前副总统拜登之前拒绝向乌克兰提供军事援助，但总统否认在与泽兰斯基的电话中有任何压力或交换条件。
2017年1月20日，DC华盛顿，唐纳德·特朗普总统在美国国会大厦的就职午宴上问候前总统比尔·克林顿。
支持针对希拉里的四项弹劾条款中的三项条款的麦克黑尔告诉记者:“当一名众议院议员就弹劾进行投票时，这是一项非常严肃的责任，应该被视为与众议院的普通事务完全不同的事情。”新闻周刊。
1999年初，克林顿被弹劾后不久，宾夕法尼亚州前代表从众议院退休，后来加入了国土安全部，在那里他担任助理国防部长。
当被问及他会对任何考虑是否投票支持弹劾、但可能担心伤害共和党同胞和损害他们政治生涯的共和党人说什么时，麦克黑尔说:“我的议会将是:投票给你的良心，着眼于历史，而不是短期政治后果。”
“我怀疑他们中的任何人会听我说什么，”吉恩·泰勒补充道。“但如果他们愿意听，我会说遵守法律，记住法律对你最好的朋友和最坏的敌人是一样的。”
前密西西比代表，谁作为共和党人发起了一个主要挑战2014年，他补充说，他投票弹劾克林顿，因为他觉得自己在宣誓后撒谎，并认为法律必须得到所有人的尊重。
泰勒说:“我觉得他撒谎了，你不能因为他是总统就破例。”。
2006年2月16日，DC华盛顿，前众议员吉恩·泰勒在国会山向美国国土安全部部长迈克尔·切尔托夫提问。
前国土安全部官员麦克黑尔警告说，“众议院的每一个成员”都有巨大的责任来充分考虑他们如何投票弹劾，不管他们对特朗普政府的政策有何看法。
他说:“真正应该决定投票结果的是以总统被指控的不当行为来衡量的国家的最大利益。”
但是，根据公开的证据，如果麦克黑尔和泰勒今天在众议院，他们会投票支持弹劾特朗普吗？两人都说，在他们能够正确回答这样一个问题之前，必须收集所有的证据。
“要求外国调查政治对手是错误的，”麦克黑尔说。"扣留国家安全基金作为实现这一目标的杠杆是可以弹劾的."
但他后来补充道:“我唯一犹豫的是，在收集到所有证据之前，我们不应该预先判断结果。”
“我认为应该对此进行调查，”泰勒说，并指出他现在离国会山很远，不知道闭门听证会上提供的证据。
2006年5月16日，在DC华盛顿旧行政办公楼(OEOB)的新闻发布会上，前国防部长助理保罗·麦克海尔在一旁观看。
和...说话新闻周刊在佩洛西透露民主党计划正式启动弹劾调查并向公众开放程序之前，麦克黑尔表示，他对听证会没有“完全公开和透明”感到“失望”
但是前密西西比州众议员泰勒对在国会大厦地下室一间安全的房间里举行听证会的决定表示同情，听证会仅限众议院情报、监督和外交政策委员会的成员及其工作人员参加。
“外面有些丑陋，有暴力，也有暴力威胁，”他说。“鉴于这些暴力威胁，你必须以某种方式保护那些愿意作证的人的生命。”
“我担心告密者的安全，”他补充道。“我希望我完全错了。但我确实担心他们的安全。”
DEMOCRATS WHO VOTED TO IMPEACH BILL CLINTON URGE REPUBLICANS TO VOTE ON TRUMP INQUIRY WITH 'AN EYE TOWARDS HISTORY'
Two Democrats who voted for the impeachment of former President Bill Clinton in 1998 have urged Republican lawmakers to "obey the law" and look "with an eye towards history" when they decide whether or not to impeach President Donald Trump.
Former Democrat representatives Paul McHale and Gene Taylor, who was the only Democrat congressman to vote for all four articles of impeachment, told Newsweek that Republicans had to set aside partisanship when considering how they would vote on impeachment.
McHale, who later served in the administration of George W. Bush, also said voting on impeachment bills was "sobering" and "something quite different than the ordinary business of the House."
Their comments have come as Democrats look set to formalize the impeachment inquiry later this week in an effort to pour cold water on Republican claims that the process lacks authorization from the House.
Should the Democrat-led House approve the formalization of the impeachment inquiry, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told lawmakers in a letter sent on Monday that hearings and testimony transcripts would be "open to the American people."
The impeachment inquiry against President Trump was launched by Pelosi on September 24 after a whistleblower raised the alarm over a July phone call between Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, during with the U.S. commander-in-chief urged his counterpart to open an investigation into potential political rival Joe Biden.
Trump has also been accused of withholding military aid from Ukraine until it agreed to investigate former Vice President Biden, but the president has denied there was any pressure or quid pro quo in the phone call with Zelenskiy.
President Donald Trump greets former President Bill Clinton at the Inaugural Luncheon in the US Capitol January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC.
"When a member of the House votes on impeachment, it is a very sobering responsibility, and it should be seen as something quite different than the ordinary business of the House," McHale, who backed three of the four articles of impeachment leveled against Clinton, told Newsweek.
The former representative of Pennsylvania retired from the House in early 1999, not long after Clinton was impeached, and later joined the Department of Homeland Security, where he served as assistant secretary of defense.
Asked what he would say to any Republicans considering whether or not to vote in favour of impeachment, but perhaps concerned about harming a fellow Republican and damaging their political career, McHale said: "My council would be: vote your conscience, with an eye towards history rather than short-term political consequences."
"I doubt any of them would listen to what I have to say," Gene Taylor added. "But if they'd listen, I'd say obey the law, and remember that the law is the same for your best friend and your worst enemy."
The former Mississippi representative, who launched a primary challenge as a Republican in 2014, added that he voted to impeach Clinton because he felt he lied under oath and believed the law had to be respected by all.
"I felt like he lied, and you can't make an exception because he's president," Taylor said.
Former Rep. Gene Taylor (D-MS) questions U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on Capitol Hill February 16, 2006 in Washington, DC.
Former Homeland Security official McHale cautioned that "every member of the House" had a huge responsibility to fully consider how they may vote on impeachment, regardless of their view on the Trump administration's policies.
He said: "What really should determine the outcome of the vote is the nation's best interest when measured in terms of the president's alleged misconduct."
But would McHale and Taylor vote for Trump's impeachment were they in the House today, based on the publicly available evidence? Both said that all of the evidence had to be collected before they could answer such a question properly.
"Asking a foreign country to investigate a political opponent is wrong," McHale said. "Withholding national security funds as leverage to make it happen is impeachable."
But he later added: "The only hesitation I have is that we ought not to prejudge the outcome before all the evidence has been collected."
"I think that it ought to be looked into," Taylor said, noting that he was now miles away from Capitol Hill and not privy to evidence given at closed door hearings.
Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense Paul McHale looks on during a press conference at the Old Executive Office Building (OEOB) in Washington, DC, 16 May 2006.
Speaking to Newsweek before Pelosi revealed Democrat plans to formalize the impeachment inquiry and open up the process to the public, McHale said he was "disappointed" that hearings had not been "completely open and transparent."
But the ex-Mississippi Rep. Taylor sympathised with the decision to hold hearings limited to members of the House Intelligence, Oversight and Foreign Policy committees and their staff in a secure room located in the basement of the Capitol.
"There's some ugliness out there and there has been violence and there have been threats of violence," he said. "Given those threats of violence, you somehow have to do it in a way that protects the lives of those people who are willing to testify."
"I am concerned for the whistleblower's safety," he added. "I hope I'm dead wrong on that. But I do have concerns for their safety."
