[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 56 (Thursday, May 7, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H2935]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       BURTON COMMITTEE HAS BECOME PAPARAZZI OF AMERICAN POLITICS

  (Mr. EDWARDS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, Harry Truman would not be impressed. ``The 
buck stops here'' has now been amended by Republicans in Congress to 
say, ``The buck stops with staff; don't blame me.''
  The gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton) has released private 
conversations between husband and wife. He released edited tapes that 
misrepresented those conversations. He has said he is ``out to get 
President Clinton.''
  When the gentleman is supposed to be leading an impartial 
investigation, when public outrage forced action, what did Republicans 
do? They fired a staff person. Harry Truman would not buy that and 
neither will the American people.
  Republicans have changed the principle of innocent until proven 
guilty to guilty before the facts are heard. Republicans have changed 
the principle of limited government to the injustice of government, 
forcing mothers to testify against their daughters and the injustice of 
intruding into marital conversations.
  The Burton committee has become the paparazzi of American politics, 
and that is a sad day for our country.

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