[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 83 (Tuesday, June 23, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H5043-H5044]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     CAMPAIGN FINANCE INVESTIGATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Diaz-Balart). Under a previous order of 
the House, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor tonight as a Member of the 
House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight in an effort to shed 
some light on what we have been doing.
  The Committee on Government Reform and Oversight is one of the most 
important committees of Congress. When I came to Congress in 1993, I 
selected that committee because it is really one of the most important 
responsibilities in Congress.
  Our committee really dates back to 1808 when the Founding Fathers 
began to see the creation of more and more of a Federal bureaucracy and 
Federal agencies. They did not really trust the appropriators, and they 
did not trust the legislators who created programs or those who funded 
the programs. They set up a separate investigative panel. This goes 
back to 1808, and that is the genesis of the committee on which I 
serve, the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight.
  It is an important committee in Congress because it is vital to our 
system. There are many other systems that are similar to the American 
system but not that have all the checks and balances that the Founding 
Fathers have put together.
  One of our most important responsibilities is to conduct 
investigations. If you go out and talk to the general public, my 
colleagues and many people say, well, we are investigating too much, or 
there is too much cost to investigations; and that really is not the 
case in our system. That is part of our system and part of the process.
  The current Committee on Government Reform and Oversight is also 
known as the Burton Committee. It has been very difficult to serve on 
that committee and do an effective job.
  The gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton), myself, and other members of 
the committee are sent here in the stead of the public and the citizens 
to conduct their business, to look at investigating the agencies and 
activities at the Federal level. We have tried to take that on with a 
certain responsibility and fairness; and it has been, indeed, a very 
difficult task, even up to today.
  Since February, we have been asking for a grant of immunity for four 
witnesses. We go first to the Department of Justice. This is in our 
campaign investigation of the foreign money that came into the 1996 
campaigns. But we went first to the Department of Justice and requested 
that we could depose and have these witnesses testify and grant 
immunity that, back in February, we were granted.
  Ever since then, Mr. Speaker, we have seen delay. We have seen one 
tactic to obstruct this investigation after another. Very frustrating. 
Back after, again, DOJ gave us permission in February and March, the 
first vote was to deny granting immunity by the Democrats on April 23, 
a second vote on May 13.
  Finally, today, on the eve of the President going to China have we 
obtained permission and consent to get a grant of immunity to hear 
these witnesses to conduct the investigation.
  I am concerned about the process, the delay, and obstruction to date. 
It is a serious matter for the Congress because they have managed now 
to obstruct this investigation, our responsibility under the 
Constitution, and what the people sent us here for until this date.
  This is the last week this House will be in session before we go on 
recess. We come back in mid July, and we will be here for approximately 
3 weeks. So the plan to obstruct, the plan to delay, the plan to 
subvert the very process that our Founding Fathers has put together 
has, indeed, succeeded; and it is unfair, because the American people 
have a right to know.
  The very system that has been abused in this campaign finance 
process, the very system that set up this investigation and review and 
this cleansing that takes place through a committee like the Committee 
on Government Reform and Oversight has, in fact, been obstructed in its 
responsibility.
  Then we have charges that we have been too broad in our 
responsibilities, in our investigation. We did not create Filegate. We 
had to investigate it. We did not create Travelgate. We had to 
investigate it. We did not create this fiasco with campaign financing. 
We have been charged to investigate it.
  We have never in the history of this republic that I am aware of had 
seven independent counsels. The list goes on

[[Page H5044]]

and on. Mr. Speaker, I am disappointed in what has taken place in an 
important area of congressional responsibility.

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