[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 87 (Thursday, June 13, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H6292]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               AN APOLOGY BY THE PRESIDENT IS NOT ENOUGH

  (Mr. WALKER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WALKER. Mr. Speaker, the gentlewoman from Colorado suggested an 
apology from the President of the United States is enough; enough, when 
340 people have had their lives stripped bare for purely political 
reasons, their FBI files open for purely political reasons, and an 
apology is enough.
  Mr. Speaker, that is not enough, particularly when we have an FBI 
official today who tells us about the situation as it may relate to the 
Nixon administration. He says, ``Some Presidents have made good use of 
FBI background investigations and some, to their regret, have not. But 
never before has any administration used background investigations of 
another President's political staff. FBI employees knew it would be 
wrong to give raw FBI files on political opponents to the other party. 
In fact, they knew it would be illegal, each disclosure a violation of 
the Federal Privacy Act.''
  We are talking about a very serious matter, Mr. Speaker. It deserves 
full investigation. I am shocked to hear Democrats who came to this 
floor, time and time again, telling us how Reagan administration 
officials should be investigated, Bush administration officials should 
be investigated, how telling us that an apology by the President is 
enough.

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