[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 87 (Thursday, June 13, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H6290]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 WHITE HOUSE AND CONFIDENTIAL FBI FILES

  (Mr. CHABOT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, yesterday we learned that among those former 
Reagan and Bush officials whose confidential FBI background files have 
been pawed through by the Clinton White House is a distinguished 
Cincinnatian, Mr. Joseph W. Hagin.
  The search of Mr. Hagin's file is noteworthy not only because Joe is 
a well respected member of my community but also because the White 
House initially had said that it had only gotten through files from A 
through G. Mr. Hagin's last name, of course, begins with the letter 
``H'' and I'm willing to bet that the FBI is good enough to have 
figured that out.
  Now Mr. Speaker, President Clinton has said that the White House 
never should condone an enemies list and that all of this vast 
intrusion into the privacy of former public servants is simply the 
result of administration incompetence. I sure hope that's the case. But 
I can understand why some of the victims are skeptical. After all this 
administration had turned the Justice Department over to a political 
crony named Webster Hubble who now stands convicted of various 
felonies. And the administration had done little to quell suspicion 
that the FBI was urged to target and harass Mr. Billy Dale. The 
President has apologized to Billy Dale. He also should apologize to Mr. 
Hagin.
  The  whole thing stinks to high heaven.

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