[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 70 (Friday, May 23, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5081-S5082]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      LOUISIANA CONTESTED ELECTION

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, periodically I report to the Senate on the 
progress being made on the Louisiana investigation. On May 8, I advised 
the Senate that the Committee on Rules and Administration was working 
on a bipartisan investigation into allegations that fraud, 
irregularities, and other errors affected the outcome of the 1996 
election for U.S. Senator from Louisiana--the first such Senate 
investigation into alleged vote fraud since the early 1950's, almost 45 
years ago.
  Since that time, the committee has secured appropriate office space 
in New Orleans to meet the needs of the investigation. Our committee 
counsel, majority and minority together, have also been to Baton Rouge, 
where they were joined by our investigative teams, headed by Richard 
Cullen and George Terwilliger from the law firm of McGuire, Woods, 
Battle & Boothe, and Robert Bauer and John Hume of the law firm of 
Perkins Coie.
  While in Baton Rouge our teams met with Gov. Mike Foster--a 
Republican, the President of the Senate Randy Ewing, and the Speaker of 
the House ``H.B.'' Hunt Downer, Jr.--both Democrats, each of whom 
expressed their full cooperation in the conduct of the Senate's 
investigation.
  Meetings were also held with the Secretary of State Fox McKeithan, 
the Commissioner of Elections Jerry Fowler, and others, and again full 
cooperation and assistance as needed were offered.
  Senator Ford and I have requested the assistance of the Federal 
Bureau of Investigation in the form of a detail of investigative 
agents. I ask unanimous consent that our letter to the Attorney General 
of the United States, Janet Reno, and to the Director of the Federal 
Bureau of Investigation, Louis Freeh, be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the letter was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                         U.S. Senate, Committee on


                                     Rules and Administration,

                                     Washington, DC, May 14, 1997.
     Hon. Janet Reno,
     The Attorney General, Department of Justice,
     Washington, DC.

     Hon. Louis J. Freeh,
     Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington, DC.
       Dear Madam Attorney General and Director Freeh: As you are 
     aware, the Committee on Rules and Administration is 
     conducting a preliminary investigation into allegations of 
     fraud and other irregularities which reportedly occurred in 
     the 1996 U.S. Senate race in Louisiana. The Committee 
     anticipates that this investigation will last approximately 
     45 days.
       The Committee has hired outside counsel to advise the 
     Committee and direct this investigation. It is their strong 
     recommendation that the Committee augment our resources with 
     professional investigators. In order to expedite and 
     facilitate this investigation, and ensure the level of 
     investigative professionalism required in such a case, the 
     Committee respectfully requests the assistance of detailees 
     from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
       The Committee has identified an immediate need for two 
     detailees, preferably with a familiarity with Louisiana, and 
     the New Orleans area specifically. As the investigation 
     progresses, the Committee anticipates a need for at least two 
     additional detailees. We ask that these detailees be provided 
     to the Committee on a non-reimbursable basis, with the 
     Committee bearing the associated travel expenses for these 
     detailees, pursuant to Senate rules.
       The Committee has secured space in the Hale Boggs Federal 
     Building in New Orleans for the duration of this 
     investigation with the expectation that attorneys for the 
     Committee will begin occupying that space by early next week. 
     Due to the timeliness of this investigation, we would hope 
     that two detailees could be made available to the Committee 
     at the same time so that the Committee investigation could 
     begin promptly.
       It is important to the Committee that this investigation be 
     conducted with the utmost

[[Page S5082]]

     professionalism and respect for the individuals involved, in 
     particular, the elected officials and citizenry of Louisiana. 
     The reputation and integrity of the Bureau make it the most 
     appropriate source for such assistance. We anticipate that a 
     memorandum of understanding regarding the deployment of these 
     detailees will need to be signed between your office(s) and 
     the Committee. We are prepared to execute that document 
     immediately.
       We greatly appreciate your assistance in this regard.
           Sincerely,
     Wendell H. Ford,
       Ranking Member.
     John Warner,
       Chairman.

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, this past Wednesday, May 21, I met with 
the Deputy Attorney General, Seth Waxman, and the Deputy Director of 
the FBI, William Esposito, and later spoke by telephone with the 
Director, Louis Freeh. The Deputy Attorney General has advised me this 
morning that our request for FBI investigators has been approved.
  The arrangements between the Rules Committee and the Department of 
Justice parallel those between the Justice Department and the 
Governmental Affairs Committee. As detailees, the FBI investigators 
will report jointly, through Committee staff, to myself and the ranking 
member.
  In addition, two accounting specialists, including a Certified Public 
Accountant, will be detailed to the Committee from the General 
Accounting Office to assist in the review and assessment of a 
considerable volume of election documents. This important phase of the 
investigation will begin next week.
  Finally, Senator Ford and I have agreed on the issuance of the first 
round of subpoenas to State officials for numerous election documents.
  I close this sequential report to the Senate with the same two 
statements I have made in the past. First, there has been no 
allegation, thus far, in this case of any illegal actions on the part 
of Senator Landrieu.
  Second, the goal of this investigation is to fulfill the Senate's 
duty under the U.S. Constitution, article I, section 5. Pursuant to 
this duty the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration authorized 
this investigation to: determine the existence or absence of a body of 
fact that would justify the Senate in making the determination that 
fraud, irregularities, or other errors, in the aggregate, affected the 
outcome of the election for U.S. Senator in the State of Louisiana in 
1996.
  As developments occur, of such significance as to inform Senators, I 
will promptly speak on the floor.

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