[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 93 (Thursday, June 8, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H5695]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


     TIME FOR THE ETHICS COMMITTEE TO THROW OUT RIDICULOUS CHARGES

  (Mr. LINDER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate what the gentleman who spoke 
just before me brought up, because of an opportunity to respond to what 
the Ethics Committee is not willing to do. The fact of the matter is 
the Speaker did submit a contract for its review. The only role that 
the Ethics Committee has in this is to determine whether the contract 
is too generous. In fact, any Member can write a book in this House 
without having approval, but if the contract is too generous, such as 
Speaker Wright's, where he got 55 percent royalties, it becomes a gift.
  The same contract that the Speaker submitted before two times and was 
approved in 3 weeks was submitted this time. It is not being approved 
by the Ethics Committee because the Democrats refuse to approve the 
very same contract that Al Gore got approved, that the gentleman from 
Michigan, David Bonior, got approved.
  As a matter of fact, one of the ethics charges is that he used an 800 
number on the floor of the House. So did 11 others. Do we discharge 
that complaint, or do we file complaints against the 11 others? One of 
the charges is that a cable channel carried his course. Every one of 
the Members plays on the cable channels for free. Do we level charges 
against each of them? It is time for the Ethics Committee to throw out 
these ridiculous, frivolous charges.

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