Politics

Souvenir Pens From Clinton’s Impeachment Had To Be Reprinted After Spelling Error

Pens to be used by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to sign the two articles of impeachment of U.S. President Donald Trump are seen prior to an engrossment ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 15, 2020. REUTERS/Leah Millis

REUTERS/Leah Millis

Virginia Kruta Associate Editor
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took criticism for handing out souvenir impeachment signing pens — but similar pens, with a slight error in spelling, made an appearance two decades earlier.

Former Democratic Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold, on hand Wednesday for MSNBC’s coverage of the transmission of the articles of impeachment, said that the commemorative pens handed out during former President Bill Clinton’s impeachment contained a spelling error. The word “united” was incorrectly printed “untied.”

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Feingold, who was in Congress during the Clinton impeachment in 1998, explained the point of all the rituals surrounding the day’s events. “It creates a solemnity that I can tell you matters and with the Clinton impeachment I think many of us felt that this was by comparison to other situations to be sort of a trivial series of accusations, not offenses against the United States and yet it was taken seriously.”

“All of these trappings aren’t just ancient traditions. They matter and they remind people that they have taken this oath so I think it’s a package that does matter and the only — there can be funny moments,” Feingold added. “For example, the pens that they gave us as commemorative pens were actually misprinted. The word ‘united’ was misspelled and they had to do it over.” (RELATED: ‘The Senate Is On Trial’: Nadler Says The Impeachment Is No Longer Just About The President)

While there have been no reports of spelling errors on the pens Speaker Pelosi handed out to her impeachment managers, Pelosi was criticized by some who felt the optics suggested a celebration rather than a solemn occasion.