[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 4 (Monday, January 9, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H152]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      THE HOUSE HISTORIAN'S OFFICE

  (Mr. WYNN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WYNN. Mr. Speaker, I rise this afternoon to comment on the sad 
situation affecting the House Historian's Office. In December, around 
Christmas-time, I read with dismay that the House Historian would be 
disbanded as another so-called cost-saving measure. But lo and behold, 
on December 30, it was stated by the Speaker that the office would, in 
fact, remain. Unfortunately he neglected to disclose that he had 
already selected the person, a highly partisan supporter of his, who 
had actually already moved into a suburban Washington townhouse.
  Not only do we have a highly partisan Historian, we are also going to 
have her husband as a paid chronicler. Perhaps there is another book 
deal in the works, but the most outrageous aspect of this whole 
situation is the fact that this Historian opposes a disclosure.
  Most historians want more information to broaden history. This 
Historian says she favors secret side contributions and opposes our 
current Federal election disclosure laws in order to protect GOPC, to 
protect large contributors who want to contribute behind closed doors.
  The Republicans have gone out of their way to say, we are not going 
to have business as usual. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, it appears, 
based on the evidence of the Historian's Office, that we are not going 
to have business as usual. We are going to have business that is worse.

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