[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 157 (Tuesday, November 9, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2314]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY DONORS DISCLOSURE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR.

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 9, 1999

  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduced legislation which would, 
in the future, require organizers of presidential libraries to disclose 
the identity of donors and the amounts they give.
  The Washington Post recently reported that $125 million will have to 
be raised to construct President Clinton's library. It also reported 
that:

       The library fund-raising is striking both for the 
     gargantuan size of the pledges being made and the refusal--at 
     least so far--to disclose the donors.

  However, we do not know who these donors are or what interests they 
may have on any pending policy decisions that are to be made. I think 
that our government needs to operate in the open--not behind closed 
doors.
  In addition to the reports in the Washington Post, I would like to 
note that the Knoxville News-Sentinel discussed this issue in its lead 
editorial saying:

       Clinton is still a sitting president and is in a position 
     to do favors for donors. His raising money for his library 
     behind closed doors may be legal, but it smells all the same. 
     He should make public the names of the donors and the amounts 
     of their contributions or he should wait until he is out of 
     office to put the arm on people.

  It also stated that:

       The White House defense of this secrecy is lame in the 
     extreme: Ronald Reagan did it. Perhaps so, but that doesn't 
     make it right, and this administration, given its various 
     fund-raising scandals, should be especially sensitive to the 
     appearance of impropriety--or one would hope so.

  I agree 100 percent, and I hope that my colleagues will join me in 
support of this legislation so that we can ensure that our government 
operates in an open manner.

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