[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 34 (Wednesday, March 23, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[Congressional Record: March 23, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
LYING AND PHONINESS IN THE FIEFDOM OF ARKANSAS
(Mr. DORNAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1
minute and to revise and extend his remarks, and include extraneous
matter).
Mr. DORNAN. Mr. Speaker, may I have the attention, please, of my good
friend, the gentleman from Ohio [Jim Traficant]. I am perfectly willing
to concede that they will sell a lot of dirt in Arkansas. We learned
through Tonya Harding the incredible marketability of all this tabloid
stuff. You're a good man, Jim. I love you.
However, are you aware that six news organizations, including the
Associated Press, have joined with the American Association of
Physicians and Surgeons in an amicus brief because they have new
evidence of Whitewater-type shenanigans in the Health Care Task Force?
I love you, Jim.
That's right, Mr. Speaker, today, the American Association of
Physicians and Surgeons filed a brief in DC's District Court, further
expanding on their lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and the Health Care
Task Force. The brief contains new revelations that show rose-colored,
Clintonian ethics were not confined to Little Rock or real estate deals
in the Ozarks, but also ruled the White House's Health Care Task Force.
It alleges that the President and First Lady violated conflict-of-
interest laws; alleges various high administration officials with
extensive double-dipping, including new allegations that hundreds-of-
thousands of dollars were funneled to Jocelyn Elders; and reveals the
previously undisclosed names of task force members allegedly involved
in influence-peddling and conflicts-of-interest.
We cannot allow coverups and lies from the administration or coverups
from anybody in this House. How can we sit back while the Clinton
administration pushes the Office of the Presidency into the flood
drainage system of the District of Columbia? The people's House is
losing what credibility it has left by continuing to cover up the swarm
of criminal charges and by ignoring the ethical dissipation of the
White House. It's cultural meltdown.
I call for an immediate congressional investigation beginning after
the April break into all of the allegations of task force wrongdoing.
My Democrat colleagues, when will you act? You are riding in
whitewaters and the rocks aren't looming, you're already amongst them.
Mr. Speaker, here is the press release of the AAPS.
Date: March 23, 1994.
Time: 10:15 am.
Location: Grassy Triangle, East Front U.S. Capitol.
New Evidence of Whitewater-Type Tactics in President's Health Care Task
Force: White House Stonewalling and Information Withholding Shields
Conflict of Interest
New briefs will be filed in the lawsuit against Hillary
Clinton and the President's Health Care Task Force with
evidence of illegal activities and subsequent White House
cover-up and stalling will be subject to a news conference
with the Executive Director of the Association of American
Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS), as well as new revelations of
the Clinton's financial holdings in health care stocks.
Dr. Janet Orient, who testified before the Task Force last
year, will also discuss evidence of a pattern of conflict of
interest and influence-peddling by previously unidentified
task force members representing the very commercial entities
who stand to make enormous financial gains with
implementation of the proposed managed-care plan.
AAPS will present evidence of misrepresentation of Task
Force membership and possible misrepresentation of facts by
White House staff.
background
One year ago, the AAPS successfully filed suit to force the
Task Force to open their meetings to the public to comply
with the Government in Sunshine Act, and to disclose its
records.
The Associated Press and five other news media and
professional journalism organizations have filed an amicus
brief in support of the AAPS lawsuit.
On March 19, 1993, the District Court in Washington D.C.
handed down an injunction requiring the Task Force to comply
with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). The Act was
designed to protect the public from the unregulated use of
advisory committees where special interest groups may use
their membership on such bodies to promote their private
concerns.
But that ruling was overturned when former White House
Counsel Bernard Nussbaum argued the Act did not apply to the
Task Force, as he and Ira Magaziner claimed that all members
were full time government employees.
Instead of complying with the law by producing the records
and publishing timely meeting notices in the Federal
Register, Nussbaum then launched an aggressive defense of the
secret war room, while Vince Foster signed public notices for
the Federal Register only after the meetings took place.
After several months, AAPS went back into court when it
became apparent the Administration had no intention of
producing the documents which would shed light on the closed-
door deliberations of the Task Force.
On November 9, 1993, District Court Judge Royce Lambert
ordered the White House to produce records of the Task Force
documenting its membership, consultants, time and attendance
records, travel vouchers, financial disclosure forms and
conflict of interest declarations.
In a sharply worded opinion, Judge Lamberth condemned the
Administration's stonewalling as ``improper'' and
``evasive,'' by producing ``dribbles and drabs of information
at its convenience.'' Judge Lambeth also cited the White
House for providing incomplete and indequate responses for
discovery of admissible evidence.
The White House then produced several boxes of
documentation, but only after getting a protective order,
withholding them from the public. To this day, Ira Magaziner
has refused to respond to the request for his deposition.
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