[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 194 (Thursday, December 7, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H14180]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

  (Mr. HASTERT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, the Ethics Committee has finally reached a 
unanimous conclusion about the wild attacks that have come from liberal 
Democrats against Speaker Newt Gingrich: Much ado about nothing.
  They have concluded that 64 of the 65 charges brought to the Ethics 
Committee about Mr. Gingrich were without merit. The 65th charge 
requires an outside counsel because it is narrowly focused on a 
technical tax law.
  I urge the American people to focus not on the media hype, but on the 
big picture.
  Republicans are trying to balance the budget for the first time in 
decades. We are doing this to provide a better future for our children, 
to get lower interest rates for families today, and for a stronger 
America.
  Instead of joining with us to balance the budget, liberal Democrats 
have launched a smear campaign meant to derail our legislative agenda. 
And as the Ethics Committee has concluded, these charges are baseless.
  I urge my colleagues to stop playing political football with the 
Ethics Committee. It was established to bring greater integrity and 
respect to this institution. When you drag the Ethics Committee through 
the mud, every Member of this House gets dirty.

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