[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 178 (Friday, November 10, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H12089-H12090]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     ACCESS TO THE SPEAKER'S OFFICE

  (Ms. DeLAURO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, the Wall Street Journal says it all this 
morning: Donald Jones, a wealthy backer of House Speaker Newt Gingrich, 
has taken the concept of being a Washington insider to new heights. The 
Wisconsin telecommunications entrepreneur enjoyed unusual access to the 
Speaker as House leaders fine-tuned a sweeping telecommunications bill 
earlier this year.
  This gentleman has millions or billions of dollars' worth of 
financial interests before this House, and we find out that he spoke 
often 2 to 3 hours daily with the Speaker of the House.
  This is the way Mr. Jones describes his access: I participate as an 
observer. I interpret and I analyze the subtleties of the meeting for 
the Speaker.
  In the end, on this bill, this bill treated both the Internet and 
cable 

[[Page H 12090]]
services in which Mr. Jones has a tremendous financial interest 
favorably by deregulating rates, among other things. The clincher is 
Mr. Gingrich opposed an amendment in being soft on pornography on the 
cable channels. Do you know that? Mr. Jones, 40 percent of his gross is 
involved with the pornography channel.
  The American people did not vote last November for this kind of 
change.

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