[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 194 (Thursday, December 7, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H14176]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    WE CANNOT HAVE A DOUBLE STANDARD

  (Mr. JOHNSTON of Florida asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. JOHNSTON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in somewhat response to 
the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Walker] and I agree with the hate 
and venom, but I want to point out that the gentleman from Florida [Mr. 
Peterson] and I had a privileged resolution on this floor that had no 
hate or venom. It was rather innocuous, merely calling for a report 
from the Committee on Ethics.
  That was voted down twice, without debate, on a motion to table. I am 
here really to point out to you the double standard, and I have a news 
release from the Speaker of the House in 1988 calling for a special 
counsel, in which he states that the outside counsel shall have full 
authority to investigate and present evidence and arguments before the 
Committee on Ethics concerning the questions arising out of the 
activities of House Speaker Jim Wright.
  He goes on to say that the special counsel should have the right of 
subpoena and also states the committee shall not countermand or 
interfere with the outside counsel's ability to take steps necessary to 
conduct a full and fair investigation.
  We cannot have a double standard, and that is all we ask for, Mr. 
Speaker.

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