[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 100 (Thursday, July 23, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1396]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  KEN STARR SHOULD REPORT: CASE CLOSED

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                          HON. JOHN J. LaFALCE

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 23, 1998

  Mr. LaFALCE. Mr. Speaker, I commend to the attention of our 
colleagues the following editorial on Independent Counsel Kenneth 
Starr's investigation which appeared this month in the three ``Greater 
Niagara Newspapers'' published in my district in Western New York: The 
Niagara Gazette (Niagara Falls); The Union Sun & Journal (Lockport); 
and The Journal-Register (Medina). Among other things, the editorial 
faults Kenneth Starr for his failure to submit an interim report to 
Congress, as required by law. If, after three years and $40 million, 
Mr. Starr has been unable to find any substantial and credible 
information about possible crimes by the president, the editorial 
concludes, ``Starr's report should start and end with the phrase, `Case 
closed.' ''
  The editorial follows:

                        Write a Closing Chapter

       What has Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr been up to lately 
     in his $40 million quest to nail President Clinton on charges 
     of being a Democrat? You won't find out from him. The special 
     prosecutor won't deliver an interim report on his publicly 
     funded wild goose chase.
       Spokesman Charles Bakaly said Starr will report to Congress 
     only if and when he has ``substantial and credible 
     information about possible crimes by the president.'' It may 
     be a cold day in hell before that happens. Any claim Starr 
     had on credibility expired about three years and $30 million 
     ago.
       The obligation to file such a report is written right into 
     the independent counsel law under which Starr was appointed. 
     But there's no time element in the requirement. Oops, it 
     looks as if Starr is riding that loophole into the sunset. 
     His method of choice for reporting apparently is well-
     orchestrated leaks to the media.
       Starr began his quest for a crime to pin on Clinton by 
     investigating ``Whitewater,'' a series of Arkansas land deals 
     the president and Mrs. Clinton were involved in. He found no 
     evidence of criminal wrongdoing by the Clintons.
       Attorney General Janet Reno helped Starr turn his attention 
     and the taxpayers' money to an inquiry into the president's 
     relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. 
     Our question is, does the public need or want to know 
     anything about the president's private affairs or lack 
     thereof? We say no. It's Hillary Rodham Clinton's call on 
     whether to investigate such matters, and questions about 
     marital fidelity are best handled by private, not public 
     investigators.
       It's long past time for the American public to refuse to 
     pay for Starr's attack dogs to nip at Clinton's heels. The 
     special prosecutor role has become an excuse to find some 
     dirt on a president the opposition political party wishes 
     hadn't been elected. Get over it.
       If there's no substantial and credible information by now, 
     Starr's report should start and end with the phrase, ``Case 
     closed.''

     

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