[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 82 (Thursday, June 6, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H5939]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          DEGRADING ACCUSATION

  (Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, we should be discussing 
Medicare, but sometimes decency requires us to deal with 
unpleasantness. The unpleasantness in this case is an outrageous, 
inaccurate, degrading accusation by Speaker Gingrich about the late Ron 
Brown. Speaker Gingrich, in what is apparently an organized Republican 
effort to divert this campaign from discussing the real issues into the 
kind of negative attacks that maybe they think is the only way they can 
win, outrageously suggested to a Republican campaign gathering that the 
President and others delayed the announcement of Secretary Brown's 
death so that they could engage in some manipulations at his office. It 
is a lie. The Speaker, when asked, could provide no justification for 
it.
  In fact, we are told in today's paper by the Speaker's press 
secretary that the justification is that there might be subsequent 
facts. That is a fairly outrageous standard. Make a terrible accusation 
and then look and hope for subsequent facts.
  Mr. Speaker, I know it is a tough year for the Republican Party. But 
nothing justifies libeling the dead. Please apologize to the Ron Brown 
family.

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