[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 129 (Wednesday, September 24, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H7735-H7736]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        LORETTA SANCHEZ ELECTION

  (Mr. MENENDEZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, 10 months ago the people of the 46th 
District of California spoke. They decided to elect the gentlewoman 
from California [Ms. Sanchez] as their Representative in Congress, an 
election certified by the Republican California Secretary of State.
  Mr. Dornan and some Republicans do not like that. But in our system, 
they

[[Page H7736]]

are not the ones that get to make that decision. The only people who 
get to make that decision are the people of California's 46th District.
  Questions are not enough to overturn the election. Allegations are 
not enough. Innuendo is not enough. Confusion is not enough. But for 10 
months, that is all we have gotten. Several hundred thousand taxpayer 
dollars have been used for a witch hunt to go through INS records and 
question the legality of voters simply on the basis of having an 
Hispanic surname.
  Should Hispanic-Americans assume that they will first be considered 
illegal voters until they can disprove it? Is the assumption that all 
Hispanic voters must have voted for the gentlewoman from California 
[Ms. Sanchez]?
  The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday that almost halfway to the 
next election there is, and I quote, ``no evidence that Sanchez 
benefited from fraudulent votes.'' The L.A. Times is right, what we 
have is not evidence, it is an assault on every Hispanic-American.

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