[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 96 (Wednesday, June 26, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H6852]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  WEST GEORGIA STATE WILL INVESTIGATE CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES OF SPEAKER

  (Mr. BROWN of Ohio asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, get in line. Even West Georgia 
State in the Speaker's home State is investigating the charitable 
activities of Speaker Gingrich. Newspaper after newspaper, conservative 
and liberal alike, have questioned the Speaker's activities and his 
fundraising apparatus.
  West Georgia College Foundation oversees the Speaker's reading 
charity, something called Earning by Learning. That charity pays 
schoolchildren to read books, and Speaker Gingrich has said the charity 
is all volunteer, with all proceeds going directly to children.
  But let me quote from Speaker Gingrich's hometown paper, a paper 
which has supported him regularly.

       The vast majority of the charity's money was paid not to 
     children but to college instructor Mel Steely and several of 
     his colleagues. Steely, who served as Gingrich's campaign 
     manager in 1986 and a congressional aide in the 1990's, is 
     the charity's coordinator. Some of the work done by Steely 
     and paid for with charitable funds apparently focused on 
     Gingrich's reelection chances and was written on the Marietta 
     Congressman's campaign stationery.

  Madam Speaker, that is simply wrong.

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