[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 97 (Thursday, June 27, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H6980]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             A SPECIAL COUNSEL FOR THE SPEAKER'S WRONGDOING

  (Mr. PALLONE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to follow up on this 
resolution that will be proposed later which basically asks that an 
outside counsel be appointed for certain purposes. I think the notion 
that we police ourselves in the House of Representatives to some extent 
makes sense but, when the time comes, when a certain committee is not 
doing its job and not basically taking on the responsibility to make 
sure that certain Members here are properly investigated for alleged 
wrongdoings, particularly when it comes to tax-exempt organizations, 
the political process needs to be kept in a proper fashion.
  If tax-exempt organizations or other organizations are being used to 
promote a particular candidacy or a particular political party, the 
time comes when the particular committee here, in this case the ethics 
committee, must do its job. If it cannot do its job, then we need have 
to have an outside counsel appointed.
  I think that the LA Times article has clearly pointed out that there 
have been a number of allegations here with regard to the Speaker, and 
the time has come for this House to move to appoint a special counsel 
to look into the Speaker's wrongdoing.

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