[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 82 (Thursday, June 6, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H5940]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      COMMERCE SECRETARY RON BROWN

  (Ms. DeLAURO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, once again House Speaker Newt Gingrich has 
gone too far. He is alleging that the Commerce Department workers might 
have shredded documents after Secretary Brown's fatal crash in Croatia 
and that the staff delayed reporting this airplane crash with 26 
incredible Americans on board. According to Gingrich's staff, the 
Speaker is, and I quote, ``Suggesting there might have been a coverup 
to get rid of Brown's papers after he died.''
  This is extreme. It is irresponsible. It is not the behavior of a 
congressional leader.
  When questioned about it, the Speaker's office responded, and I again 
quote, ``I think they are serious allegations, if subsequent facts 
support them, if subsequent facts support them, I think it is something 
other news outlets ought to look at and other agencies.''
  In other words, we are going to make an outrageous allegation and 
then we are going to hope that eventually someone comes up with the 
facts to support it.
  Has not the family of Commerce Secretary Ron Brown suffered enough? 
Speaker Gingrich, who did not even attend the funeral, owes the Brown 
family a public apology for making this irresponsible and fictional 
allegation.

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