[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 96 (Wednesday, June 26, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H6853-H6854]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     THE SPEAKER'S ETHICS PROBLEMS

  (Mr. PALLONE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I have never addressed the issue of the 
Speaker's ethics problems, but I am very concerned about what I read in 
the Los Angeles Times today. I do believe there is a need for a wider 
probe of the Speaker's use of nonprofit foundations for political 
purposes and appointment of an independent counsel.
  This information about the Earnings by Learning project which 
basically was trying to help third grade students read, and now we find 
out that the majority of the money was actually paid to individuals who 
were associated with the Gingrich campaign and with the Republican 
campaign. It is inappropriate to use tax-exempt foundations that are 
for nonprofit purposes to help children and then turn around and have 
the majority of that money used for political purposes.
  Now we are finding out that this is not just true in one case; this 
is true

[[Page H6854]]

for a number of these tax-exempt foundations that were set up by 
Speaker Gingrich and that were associated with him. The time has come 
for an independent counsel to look into every one of these foundations. 
Anything less than that is really a betrayal of the American people.

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