[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 22 (Thursday, March 3, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 3, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                        ADVICE FOR THE PRESIDENT

  (Mr. GINGRICH asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GINGRICH. Mr. Speaker, I want to recommend to the President and 
his senior staff that they read today's column by Al Hunt in the Wall 
Street Journal entitled ``Whitewater: It's the Coverup More Than the 
Deal.''
  There was a point where President Nixon could have, I think, saved 
his Presidency by decisively bringing in outside counsel, listening to 
them, and doing whatever it took to obey the law and to enforce public 
trust even at the expense of personal friendship. There was a point 
where President Reagan felt compelled to create the Tower Commission to 
look into a series of allegations and to try to find out what had 
happened in the White House.
  I am afraid, with yesterday's revelations and today's revelations 
involving the Justice Department, the RTC, and a whole range of clearly 
unethical and inappropriate behaviors by senior appointees, that the 
Clinton Presidency is very close to a problem that, in fact, could 
ultimately unravel its entire ability to function.
  I would hope the President would take seriously the recommendation to 
relieve the current counsel, Mr. Nussbaum, to bring in a total outsider 
of impeccable credentials, respected by everyone, to insist that that 
person go through the entire administration, insisting on ethical, 
accountable behavior, and establishing firm principles that fit the law 
and that fit the procedures the country should expect of the executive 
branch.
  I simply would suggest to the President and his senior staff that 
this is potentially a very critical turning point for the 
administration, and it should not go into a defensive bunker mentality, 
and it should not wait for an independent counsel like Mr. Fisk to give 
it the bad news after the fact, and it should not tolerate its aides 
engaging in coverup.

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