[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 115 (Thursday, September 4, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8790-S8791]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       THE ELECTION IN LOUISIANA

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I was distressed yesterday to hear 
comments on the floor relative to the duty of the U.S. Senate under the 
U.S. Constitution to determine--and we have the sole authority under 
the Constitution to determine--the issues as relating to the presence 
or absence of that degree of fraud or other conditions that would 
affect the outcome of the election in Louisiana. The subject has been 
discussed many times on the floor.
  As chairman of the Rules Committee, I have overall responsibility for 
the direction and the daily conduct of this investigation. I will later 
today either address the Senate or put in the Record a detailed 
accounting of everything that I, the staff of the committee, and others 
have done since the last time I reported to the Senate with regard to 
this very important case. But I wish to assure my colleagues that while 
I regret that the Democrats decided to walk out on the investigation 
that the Republican majority of the committee, and specifically myself, 
we have continued to fulfill what I and others regard as the bottom-
line responsibility of the U.S. Senate, and that is to go and look at 
every reasonable source of potential evidence as it relates to fraud in 
this election. This has taken a great deal of time. I recognize that it 
has stressed the patience of many.
  But if you look historically, as I have done, at comparable 
situations when the U.S. Senate has been faced with the election 
problems, this case thus far is relatively short in duration. Many have 
gone for as much as 18 months to over 2 years.
  It is my hope and my expectation that we can conclude this work in a 
reasonable period of time. Under the leadership of our distinguished 
majority leader and, indeed, some on the other side of the aisle, we 
were very near to an agreement whereby both sides concurred that this 
matter could be concluded before late September--this month. That fell 
by the wayside, and I was then given the authority at long last, 
although I had asked a number of times--it had been denied by the 
Democrats--the authority to issue subpoenas. I received that authority 
from the committee. Subpoenas were promptly issued. And I went to 
Louisiana on two occasions and each time conducted 2 full days of 
hearings. I repeat, 2 full days; 4 full days thus far of hearings in 
Louisiana.
  In response to those subpoenas, individuals without exception came 
in, some voluntarily. Those individuals responded in large measure to 
the best of their knowledge to each and every question. Some 
equivocated. That is true in any trial. I used to be an assistant U.S. 
attorney for 4 or 5 years, and I have tried many cases. But I can judge 
witnesses fairly well based on that experience. I say on the whole the 
witnesses were forthcoming in their oral testimony.
  Likewise, we issued subpoenas duces tecum for records. We have in the 
possession of the Senate now some four to six cartons of records as a 
consequence of those subpoenas issued in August. Most of those records 
relate to the gambling industry, which, according to official records, 
put anywhere from $10 to $15 million into the elections taking place on 
December 5 or 6 of 1996 because there was a referendum that affected 
the gambling industry. They had a right to participate and contribute 
money to foster their interests in certain votes as related to the 
referendum.
  But anyway, that is a voluminous amount of record material that must 
be gone over carefully by Senate staff and such other adjunct support 
as we can get from the GAO. Much to my disappointment, and despite the 
efforts of the distinguished majority leader, myself, and others, the 
FBI pulled out when the Democrats left. That left us short-handed in 
the nature of support. But we are doing our best. And despite the 
efforts of majority leader, myself, and others, the FBI still has not 
come in to give any further help.
  All of this is to say the buck stops with me as the chairman. And I 
can, in clearest of conscience, report to my colleagues that I feel 
that the Rules Committee, its staff, and the Republican Senators 
participating are fulfilling the exact requirement placed upon us by 
the U.S. Constitution.
  I urge that the Members of this body continue to allow that work to 
be done in an orderly fashion as best we can, given the extraordinary 
handicaps we have, both financial, time and staffwise, to do our work, 
to go over the records we have.
  I announced in Louisiana it would be my judgment, subject to 
concurrence of other members of the committee, to have at least one 
more hearing, this time here in the Rules Committee room, at which time 
the gambling industry would be subpoenaed to come and explain in detail 
the voluminous amount of records we now have before us. We need to 
ascertain whether or not this sum of money, ranging from $10 million to 
$15 million, was expended in a proper way in accordance with Federal 
and State law, or in fact did some of it slip into areas which could 
have generated fraud and, indeed, affected the outcome of this election 
through fraud.
  So, Mr. President, I see the majority leader now at this time and I, 
due to time constraints, have to stop my remarks, but I will put in the 
Record today, either orally or insert a more complete dissertation, 
exactly what we have done.
  Mr. LOTT addressed the Chair.

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  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader is recognized.

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