[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 130 (Thursday, September 19, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H10605]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      ETHICS COMMITTEE SHOULD RELEASE INDEPENDENT COUNSEL'S REPORT

  (Mr. VOLKMER asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. VOLKMER. Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday, over a year ago, I 
pointed out that this House has a severe dark cloud hanging over it, 
all because of the inaction of the Committee on Standards of Official 
Conduct on complaints that have been filed against our Speaker, Newt 
Gingrich. They have been stalled and stalled and stalled. Now we have a 
report that has been filed by the independent counsel, and they are not 
releasing the report.


                            points of order

  Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I have a point of order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Inglis of South Carolina). The gentleman 
will state it.
  Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman has been here long enough to 
know the rules of the House. He shows it on the floor of the House all 
the time. He is abusing the rules of the House by referring to matters 
before the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair sustains the point of order, and 
would permit the gentleman from Missouri [Mr. Volkmer] to proceed in 
order.
  Mr. VOLKMER. Mr. Speaker, one newspaper in Connecticut appropriately 
describes the chairperson of the Committee on Standards of Official 
Conduct as ``Stonewall Johnson.'' That is a perfect, appropriate 
description of the gentlewoman from Connecticut, and she has handled 
well the delay so that none of the ethics violations by the Speaker 
will ever be seen in the light of day.


                             point of order

  Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I have a point of order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state it.
  Mr. LINDER. The gentleman is continuing to refer to matters before 
the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair would sustain the point of order 
of the gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Linder] and would remind Members 
that it is inappropriate to refer to the Members of the Committee on 
Standards of Official Conduct and their work.

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