[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 94 (Wednesday, July 15, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H5502]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       THE BEANIE BABY CAPERGATE

  (Mr. GIBBONS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, as we all know, the President and his 
entourage just recently returned from a 9-day, taxpayer-paid, $50 
million trip to China. It appears that America's tough-talking trade 
representative, Charlene Barshefsky, has shunned and even ignored 
American trade law. My word, Mr. Speaker, we now have the Barshefsky 
Beanie Baby Capergate.
  Apparently, the President's trade rep, who is supposed to know, who 
is supposed to understand, who is supposed to follow trade laws, was 
caught red-handed in China's unregulated back-alley Beanie-Baby black 
market. Barshefsky illegally acquired a boatload of Beanie Babies while 
in Beijing and tried to bring them back to the United States.
  ``Whoa, not so fast,'' said the U.S. Customs, since it is illegal to 
purchase these toys in China.
  Well, what is next? I hope the Clinton Administration does not think 
that this is an even trade for the top-secret missile technology they 
just gave them. With a $50 billion U.S. trade deficit, maybe the 
Chinese were secretly paying off the Clinton Administration with 
Barshefsky Beanie Babies.
  I yield back to the American people any legal Beanie Babies not 
hiding in the White House.

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