[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 34 (Thursday, March 23, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H1329]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     COMMENTS ON FATHER TIM O'BRIEN

  Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, I join with all of you in welcoming our new 
Chaplain, Father Coughlin, to the House of Representatives.
  What I would like to do is spend a few moments not reopening the 
wounds of this, what I would term a sorry chapter in the House of 
Representatives, but I take the floor today to defend a family friend, 
a person who I asked to think about running for the post of Chaplain of 
the House of Representatives, Father Tim O'Brien, who I have known for 
over 30 years.
  Father Tim O'Brien comes from the State of Wisconsin, born on a 
family dairy farm in Eden, Wisconsin. His ordination was from St. 
Francis Seminary in my district in Milwaukee. He was an associate 
pastor in a parish in my district. He went on to complete his education 
and received a doctorate, and he is a professor at Marquette 
University.
  Because of his love of politics and this House and teaching young 
minds, he started on his own the Les Aspin Institute named after our 
former colleague Les Aspin. His intention in starting this program was 
to bring students from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 
here to Washington, DC, to work in our offices, to work for the 
agencies, to possibly work for some lobby firms, to get a hands-on feel 
for what the government is all about, so when they graduate and start 
their livelihood, in no matter what job it might be, they will 
understand what goes on here, and hopefully they will be a better 
citizen, hopefully they will be a better voter, or a voter, and 
possibly they might run for office.
  Mr. Speaker, one of those interns who was in my office who has 
graduated from Marquette was the first Hispanic elected to the State 
legislature in Wisconsin who hales from my district. So I think the 
program is working.
  So I said to Father O'Brien, ``Because of your love of the 
institution and government, consider becoming our Chaplain,'' and he 
did. He put his nomination and his application in, and in every step of 
the process he came out on top.
  Oh, I tracked this process like a hawk. I talked to every member of 
that screening committee. How did Father O'Brien do? And you know what 
I heard repeatedly, time after time? Home run. A triple. Best of the 
lot. And, in the final analysis, he was the top pick of the committee.
  Now, was that related to the leaders who made the choice of someone 
other than him? Yes. The gentleman from North Dakota (Mr. Pomeroy) 
admitted that even though the formal paper did not have the ranking, he 
verbalized it, and so did the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley). So 
to say that we did not know who was the top candidate is not accurate.
  One of the Republican leaders said, My gosh, I did not know the 
denominations of the candidates. That is not accurate. I personally 
talked to that leader on at least two occasions on the floor. I am just 
so hesitant to go and try to correct all the misstatements, because I 
think that opens up the issue again.
  I want closure, like you. But here we have this Catholic priest, who 
just thought he would like to be the Chaplain. He thought he could do 
well for all of us in the House. And, since that time, he has been 
greatly maligned.
  In Roll Call last week we read, Well, he does not have enough 
counseling experience. Well, he can weather that, because we all know 
as a colonel in the Army Reserves he counsels enlisted and officers 
every day he is on duty. As a faculty member, he counsels students and 
other faculty. He has counseled me and continues to do so. So it is not 
the idea of counseling.
  But to go after this Catholic priest, who did nothing but want to be 
the Chaplain. There were rumors leaked, and I cannot point fingers 
because I do not know where they came from, that his home in Wauwatosa, 
Wisconsin, was purchased with some Federal funds. Naturally, the 
reporters descend on the poor guy like locusts. Is that true? Is it 
true? Is that true? Actually, it was not true.
  He absconded with some money from a drug and alcohol program, one 
which he has never run, and the reporters again called him and 
descended. Is it true?
  It is not, because I never was involved in such a program. I never 
got any funding. So I know full well that throughout the process this 
individual and his reputation have suffered also.
  So, today, Mr. Speaker, we close the book on this sad chapter. But I 
ask my Republican colleagues not to rewrite history, because that we 
should not do. But I think there are some in this body that owe Father 
Tim O'Brien an apology. As we go on from today, I think I can be 
confident that not only Father Tim O'Brien has been vindicated, but a 
lot of us, with the appointment of our new Chaplain.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Bliley) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  There was no objection.




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