[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 49 (Tuesday, April 28, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H2338-H2339]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          PARTISAN BEHAVIOR IN CAMPAIGN FINANCE INVESTIGATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 21, 1997, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton) is recognized 
during morning hour debates for 4 minutes.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Madam Speaker, since the beginning of this 
investigation, the White House and the Democrats on our committee have 
done everything they possibly can to obstruct our investigation.
  Mr. Ruff, the President's counsel, told us initially he was not going 
to claim executive privilege; this was last January, and then he did. 
And then we had to move a contempt citation against the President's 
personal counsel because he would not give us documents that were 
relevant to the investigation. And, finally, at the last minute, 6 
months later, he gave us a letter saying we are going to give you what 
you want. And then in June he sent me a letter saying, to the best of 
my knowledge, to the best of my knowledge, you have everything that you 
have asked for. Three months

[[Page H2339]]

later, we got 12 more boxes of documents, and then we found out about 
the White House videotapes.
  Ever since this investigation has gone on, they have tried to drag it 
out and drag it out and drag it out to keep us from getting at the 
facts; and we have to deal with that. They drag it out, and then they 
blame us for taking so long. They keep information from us, and then 
they blame us for taking so long. They try to keep us from talking to 
witnesses that want to talk to us, and then they blame us for taking 
too long.
  The four witnesses that he voted against last week for immunity have 
been approved for immunity by the President's Justice Department, and 
yet all 19 Democrats voted to obstruct our investigation by not 
allowing that immunity to take place, even though the President's own 
Attorney General okayed us getting that immunity, and that is because 
they are trying to protect this administration and block every single 
thing that we are trying to accomplish.
  Now, they said we have not accomplished anything, that this has been 
a waste of the taxpayers' money and time.
  Let me just go through a few things.
  The Democrat National Committee has returned $3 million in illegal 
foreign contributions that would not have been returned had it not been 
for the investigations that have taken place. Do we want the Chinese 
government giving campaign contributions to people running for 
president in this country? Do we want them to have influence over our 
foreign policy or our defense policy? I think not. And yet millions of 
dollars in illegal foreign contributions have come into this country to 
the DNC and to the President's legal defense fund and been returned, 
but only because of the investigation we caught him and we had to send 
it back.
  We had White House coffees where they were raising money, where they 
were renting out the Lincoln bedroom, doing all kinds of things to try 
to raise money in addition to taking money from foreign sources.
  The White House had people running in and out of there who were known 
drug dealers. Jorge Cabrera was in to meet with the President on a 
number of occasions. Wang Jun, a convicted drug dealer; Grigory 
Louchansky, another felon, had access to the President of the United 
States.
  Charlie Trie, one of the President's best friends in Little Rock, was 
indicted. He fled the country, took the fifth amendment. He finally 
came back. We had to force that issue.
  John Huang, a personal friend of the President who ran the Worthen 
Bank in Little Rock, Arkansas, a part of the Riady group, John Huang 
has taken the fifth, but we understand now he is willing to, with 
limited immunity, talk to us.
  But the Democrats will not help us to get the immunity we need to 
have these people talk, and why do they do that? Because they do not 
want those people to talk. They do not want the American people to know 
the fact about these illegal contributions and how foreign entities 
were buying influence in this government. They do not want the people 
to know that, because it is explosive and we are bent, hell bent, to 
get to the bottom of it and to get the facts out.
  Because the American people have a right to know if their government 
is for sale, if their foreign policy is for sale, if their defense 
capability is for sale. And, if it is, those who are responsible need 
to be brought to justice, and that is what we are all about.
  Now people, like my colleague from California, keep trying to defend 
their position. It is indefensible, and we are going to stay after 
until we get the facts out and get the truth out.

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