[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 129 (Wednesday, September 18, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H10567-H10568]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
``DEAR COLLEAGUE'' LETTER FROM THE PAST APPLICABLE TO THE PRESENT
(Mr. HOKE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1
minute.)
Mr. HOKE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to read from a ``Dear Colleague''
that was signed by the gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Lewis] who just
spoke, as well as the gentleman from Missouri [Mr. Volkmer] just a few
years ago.
Quote,
As the Ethics Committee prepares its recommendations to the
full House, it should release only the information which the
committee agrees is relevant and necessary to support its
findings. To ask a Member, any Member, to also respond in the
court of public opinion to allegations, rumors and innuendo
not deemed worthy of charge by the Committee would be totally
unfair and a perversion of the process. Especially in a time
of press sensationalism.
Public release of material not germane to formal Committee
action would be similar to the process used during the Joe
McCarthy era: Ignore the discipline of due process and firm
evidence, and dump unproven allegations out in public and let
the ensuing publicity destroy the person's reputation and
career.
Signed, Richard Gephardt, Pat Schroeder, Harold Volkmer, John Lewis,
John Dingell, Martin Frost, et cetera.
Mr. Speaker, I include the following for the Record:
Congress of the United States,
Washington, DC, April 13, 1986.
Re: Wright case raises crucial fairness issue
Dear Colleague: Calls by some Members of this House for
release of all gathered background material on Speaker
Wright--no matter how irrelevant to specific recommendations
of the Ethics Committee--threatens every Member of Congress.
And it should offend every Member who values this institution
and fair play.
We all support the ability and the obligation of the Ethics
Committee to take a close, hard look at all responsibly made
charges formally brought against any House Member. But, every
Member, from the newest freshman up to the Speaker, is
entitled to protection and fair treatment at the conclusion
of the internal inquiry.
This requires that only supporting material on those
charges the Committee decides to proceed on should be
released. Releasing
[[Page H10568]]
the other material--unsubstantiated charges, rumors, innuendo
and speculation--on Speaker Wright would be a terrible
precedent for the House, threatens all Members and makes a
mockery of fair play.
The Outside Counsel has followed every lead, pursued every
rumor, and reported on each to the Committee. Appropriately
so,
But as the Ethics Committee prepares its recommendations to
the full House, it should release only the information which
the Committee agrees is relevant and necessary to support its
findings. To ask a Member, any Member, to also respond in the
court of public opinion to allegations, rumors and innuendo
not deemed worthy of charge by the Committee would be totally
unfair and a perversion of due process. Especially in a time
of press sensationalism.
Consider this: More than 70 Members of Congress were
investigated in the outside counsel's inquiry into the sex/
drugs page scandal in 1983, of which only two Members were
eventually proceeded against. Would it have been fair to
release unedited, unsubstantiated or inconsequential
allegations that the Committee considered against the other
68 Members?
For the Ethics Committee to release raw material not deemed
by the Committee to be worthy of formal action sets the stage
for the ruination of any Member's career--possibly triggered
by the political or personal animosity of any other Member or
outside group.
Public release of material not germane to formal Committee
action in the Wright case would be similar to the process
used during the Joe McCarthy era: Ignore the discipline of
due process and firm evidence, and dump unproven allegations
out in public and let the ensuing publicity destroy the
person's reputation and career.
Is that the procedure we want the House to adopt? Is that
what this institution and our Ethics Committee stand for? We
hope not.
We hope the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct will
adhere to its distinguished history of fairness in the matter
of releasing unsubstantiated, uncharged items. Fairness to
all Members requires the same treatment now.
Dave Nagle.
Jim Moody.
Robert T. Matsui.
Below is a list of 100 Democrats who signed a ``Dear
Colleague'' letter asking for the suppression of information
in the Wright inquiry.
These Members Did Not Want Full Disclosure of Information on Speaker
Wright's Ethics
Alexander, Bill; Andrews, Michael; Bilbray, James; Borski,
Robert; Brennan, Joseph; Brooks, Jack; Brown, George; Bryant,
John; Bustamante, Albert; Campbell, Ben Nighthorse; Cardin,
Benjamin; Chapman, Jim; Clarke, James McClure; Clay, William;
Coleman, Ronald; Collins, Cardiss; Cooper, Jim; Coyne,
William; Darden, George; DeFazio, Peter; de la Garza, E;
Dellums, Ronald; Derrick, Butler; Dingell, John; Dorgan,
Byron; Durbin, Richard; Dymally, Mervyn; Edwards, Don; Espy,
Mike; Evans, Lane; Fascell, Dante; Flippo, Ronnie; Foglietta,
Thomas; Ford, William; Frost, Martin; Garcia, Robert;
Gejdenson, Sam; Gephardt, Richard; Gibbons, Sam; Glickman,
Dan; Gordon, Bart; Harris, Claude; Hawkins, Augustine; Hayes,
Charles; Hayes, James; Hefner, W.C. (Bill); Hughes, William;
Jenkins, Ed; Jones, Ben.
Kaptur, Marcy; Kennedy, Joseph; Kennelly, Barbara;
Kostmayer, Peter; Laughlin, Greg; Leath, Marvin; Lehman,
Richard; Leland, Mickey; Levine, Mel; Lewis, John; Lowey,
Nita; Luken, Thomas; McCloskey, Frank; McDermott, James;
Manton, Thomas; Mavroules, Nicholas; Mfume, Kweisi; Moakley,
Joe; Neal, Richard; Oberstar, James; Olin, Jim; Ortiz,
Solomon; Owens, Major; Owens, Wayne; Payne, Donald; Pease,
Donald; Penny, Timothy; Perkins, Carl; Pickle, J.J.; Rangel,
Charles; Richardson, Bill; Rostenkowski, Dan; Roybal, Edward;
Sabo, Martin; Savage, Gus; Sawyer, Thomas; Scheuer, James;
Schroeder, Patricia; Slaughter, Louise; Staggers, Harley;
Stenholm, Charles; Synar, Mike; Tallon, Robin; Tauzin, W.J.
(Billy); Thomas, Robert; Unsoeld, Jolene; Volkmer, Harold;
Williams, Pat; Wilson, Charles; Wise, Robert.
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