[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 180 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 180

  Expressing the sense of Congress that the President should not have 
                    granted clemency to terrorists.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 8, 1999

   Mr. Fossella (for himself, Mr. Dreier, Mr. Hyde, Mr. Bliley, Mr. 
Archer, Mr. Saxton, Mr. Gilman, Mr. Bonilla, Mr. Royce, Mr. Bartlett of 
  Maryland, Mr. Hayworth, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Mr. Ballenger, Mr. 
 DeLay, Mr. Stump, Mr. Watts of Oklahoma, Mr. Pickering, Mr. Sessions, 
   Mr. Traficant, Mrs. Kelly, Mr. Cox, Mr. Tancredo, Mr. Upton, Mr. 
Istook, Mr. Chambliss, Mr. Rogan, Mr. Packard, Mrs. Roukema, Mr. Buyer, 
 Mr. Hostettler, Mr. Vitter, Mr. Green of Wisconsin, Mr. Rohrabacher, 
  Mr. Walden of Oregon, Mr. Sweeney, Mr. Knollenberg, Mr. Wicker, Mr. 
Franks of New Jersey, Mr. Weller, Mr. Ewing, Mr. Largent, Mr. Reynolds, 
    Mr. Coburn, and Mr. Shadegg) submitted the following concurrent 
    resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of Congress that the President should not have 
                    granted clemency to terrorists.

Whereas the Armed Forces of National Liberation (the FALN) is a militant 
        terrorist organization that claims responsibility for the bombings of 
        approximately 130 civilian, political, and military sites throughout the 
        United States;
Whereas its reign of terror resulted in 6 deaths and the permanent maiming of 
        dozens of others, including law enforcement officials;
Whereas 16 members of the FALN were tried for numerous felonies against the 
        United States, including seditious conspiracy;
Whereas at their trials, none of the 16 defendants contested any of the evidence 
        presented by the United States;
Whereas at their trials, none expressed remorse for their actions;
Whereas all were subsequently convicted and sentenced to prison for terms up to 
        90 years;
Whereas not a single act of terrorism has been attributed to the FALN since the 
        imprisonment of the 16 terrorists;
Whereas no petitions for clemency were made by these terrorists, but other 
        persons, in an irregular procedure, sought such clemency for them;
Whereas on August 11, 1999, President William Jefferson Clinton offered clemency 
        to these 16 terrorists, all of whom have served less than 20 years in 
        prison;
Whereas the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and 
        2 United States Attorneys all reportedly advised the President not to 
        grant leniency to the 16 terrorists;
Whereas the Federal Bureau of Prisons reportedly based its decision in part on 
        the existence of audio recordings indicating that some of the 16 have 
        vowed to resume their violent activities upon release from prison;
Whereas the State Department in 1998 reiterated two longstanding tenets of 
        counterterrorism policy that the United States will: ``(1) make no 
        concessions to terrorists and strike no deals; and ``(2) bring 
        terrorists to justice for their crimes'';
Whereas the President's offer of clemency to the FALN terrorists violates 
        longstanding tenets of United States counterterrorism policy;
Whereas the President's decision sends an unmistakable message to terrorists 
        that the United States does not punish terrorists in a severe manner 
        under the law, making terrorism more likely; and
Whereas the release of terrorists is an affront to the rule of law, the victims 
        and their families, and every American who believes that violent acts 
        must be punished to the fullest extent of the law: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of Congress that making concessions to terrorists 
is deplorable and that President Clinton should not have offered or 
granted clemency to the FALN terrorists.
                                 <all>