[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 45 (Friday, March 10, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H3032-H3033]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                CLOUD OF WRONGDOING COVERING THIS HOUSE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Missouri [Mr. Volkmer] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. VOLKMER. Mr. Speaker, Members of the House, the majority party 
took great pains to celebrate the 50th day of their Contract on America 
when only one piece of legislation had become law to this date. Only 
one piece of legislation has become law, and that is one we all agreed 
to. We, as Democrats, passed it last year, and it got bottled up over 
in the Senate.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to know where the celebration is today to 
mark the 50 days. Yes, it is a different 50 days. What happened 50 days 
ago today? Does anybody know?
  Nobody knows here.
  Well, I can tell my colleagues what happened 50 days ago. The ethics 
committee was appointed. What has happened since? Where is the press 
conference for today? Where is a press conference? Where is the 
majority party having their big celebration?
  Mr. Speaker, I ask because no investigation has begun of all the 
ethics charges brought against the Speaker, and I think they would be 
out celebrating. I am sure the majority party will want to celebrate 
this 50th day as well and announce that no investigations are under 
way, Mr. Speaker, no special counsel has been named, despite the fact 
the complaints keep stacking up one after the other.
  I can see the headlines now. We, Mr. Speaker, have been successful in 
stonewalling for 50 days, and we feel confident, Mr. Speaker, in 
continuing to stonewall for the next 50 days. Perhaps the Speaker 
believes that the ethics complaints are like constitutional rights, to 
say what you want on the floor, anything you want, but there are 
different rules for him.
  As my colleagues know, we have seen this huge cloud that has grown 
over this House of Representatives, the House of Representatives that I 
love so well, that many of us feel is a bastion of democracy, and this 
cloud of wrongdoing is covering this House, and yet no action is being 
taken to take this cloud away, to say, ``No, we should try to do 
something about this. We should have an investigation. We should have 
an independent counsel. Let the chips fall where they may. If the 
Member is innocent, so be it. If he is guilty, so be it.''
  But why are we stonewalling? It is 50 days since the ethics committee 
has been appointed, and not one action has been taken in that 50 days. 
Why not?
  Well, I suggest to some of the Members to look and see who got 
appointed to that ethics committee. I suggest they look and see what 
has happened as a result of those appointments and who got appointed.
                              {time}  1315

  You know, it is interesting to me, I would like to ask other Members, 
maybe some can tell me the answer, which Member of Congress says he has 
a constitutional right to speak on the 
[[Page H3033]] floor on any given subject, but no other Member has that 
right? Which Member says that publicly? Now, which Member of Congress 
said a year ago, ``If you are innocent, why not appoint an Independent 
Counsel and clear your name?''
  Well, our Speaker said that a year ago in regard to the Whitewater 
investigation. But he does not want it applied to him. I think that all 
laws, all rules, should apply to all Members equally, and that what is 
good for the goose should be good for the gander, and I am asking that 
the Committee on Ethics proceed with appointing an independent counsel 
to remove this cloud of darkness that permeates this House, and do it 
right away.

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