[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 79 (Tuesday, June 21, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 21, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                          WHITEWATER HEARINGS

  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, earlier this afternoon, I received a letter 
from Republican leader Bob Michel, and Republican whip Newt Gingrich 
making clear that their recent agreement with the House Democrat 
leadership on Whitewater hearings was not meant as an endorsement of 
any effort to restrict the scope of these hearings.
  When you are so outgunned, as the House Republicans often are with 
only 178 Members, it is not always possible to steer the House of 
Representatives in the direction you wish it to go. Compromises 
sometimes become necessary. As the Michel-Gingrich letter states:

       * * * Given the rules of the House and our inability to 
     openly amend legislation, there is little or no possibility 
     of Republicans even offering on the House floor a proposal to 
     have real, useful hearings on Whitewater. When the Democrat 
     leadership, therefore, offered as the only potential for 
     hearings being the House Banking Committee, we agreed.

  I know that some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have 
attempted to use the House leadership agreement to bolster their own 
arguments for very limited Whitewater hearings. Today's letter from 
Representatives Michel and Gingrich makes clear that House Republicans 
have not endorsed the limited-hearing approach. It is my hope that 
Senators will take the time to read the letter and, as a result, stop 
mischaracterizing the efforts of these two able House Republicans.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the letter be reprinted 
in the Record immediately after my remarks.
  There being no objection, the letter was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                  Office of the Republican Leader,


                                     House of Representatives,

                                    Washington, DC, June 20, 1994.
     Hon. Robert Dole,
     Senate Republican Leader, S-130, U.S. Capitol, Washington, 
         DC.
       Dear Bob: Not surprisingly, some want to mischaracterize 
     our bipartisan agreement on Whitewater hearings. Let us set 
     the record straight.
       We asked the Majority Leadership in January for extensive 
     hearings and have regularly renewed that request. Last week 
     we reaffirmed that desire and pointed out that the 
     ``Washington phase'' of any Whitewater hearings probably 
     amounts to less than five percent of any overall 
     investigation. We do not intend to let the Democratic 
     Leadership try to fool the American people into believing 
     that all the questions about Whitewater will be put to rest 
     by either Special Counsel Fiske or limited hearings on the 
     ``Washington phase.''
       As you are well aware, given the rules of the House and our 
     inability to openly amend legislation, there is little or no 
     possibility of Republicans even offering on the House floor a 
     proposal to have real, useful hearings on Whitewater. When 
     the Democrat Leadership, therefore, offered as the only 
     potential for hearings being the House Banking Committee, we 
     agreed.
       Our agreement, however, should in no way be seen as a 
     validation of the idea that these limited hearings are all 
     that is necessary or all that the Constitution requires of 
     the Congress. Regrettably, Chairman Gonzalez has informed his 
     Leadership that he objects to several of the things in our 
     agreement and believes further discussions are necessary. We 
     can only guess at the outcome of those ``discussions.''
       The public has the right to know exactly what occurred in 
     Whitewater and the Congress has a responsibility to 
     investigate. Only then can we decide the legislative remedies 
     necessary to prevent further abuses.
       We totally support the efforts made by you, Senator D'Amato 
     and the rest of the Senate Republicans. The amendments you 
     have offered to ensure that Whitewater hearings be useful and 
     meaningful are the best hope of actually achieving hearings 
     that fulfill the Constitutional responsibilities of Congress.
       Given the same opportunity, we would be pursuing the same 
     effort to inform the American people and to use the 
     Congressional system of checks and balances to pursue the 
     truth in our one-party government in Washington.
       Please feel free to share this letter with your colleagues 
     as you see fit.
           Sincerely,
     Bob Michel,
       Republican Leader.
     Newt Gingrich,
       Republican Whip.

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