[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 114 (Tuesday, July 21, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H5299]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      GEORGE W. BUSH SPEAKER'S FEE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Jones) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, July 9, I saw a report on ABC 
News that former President George W. Bush charged $100,000 to speak at 
a charity fundraiser for military veterans wounded in Iraq and 
Afghanistan. I was disappointed to learn that a President who sent 
thousands of Americans to die in an unnecessary war justified by 
manipulated intelligence would charge a fee to speak at a fundraiser 
for wounded veterans.
  ABC also reported that, in addition to charging $100,000 to speak at 
the charity: ``The former President was also provided with a private 
jet to travel to Houston at a cost of $20,000.''
  Further, ABC News reported: ``One of the wounded vets who served on 
the charity board told ABC News he was outraged that his former 
commander in chief would charge any fee to speak on behalf of men and 
women he ordered into harm's way.
  `` `For him to be paid to raise money for veterans that were wounded 
in combat under his orders, I don't think that's right,' said former 
Marine Eddie Wright.''
  Eddie Wright, Mr. Speaker, lost both hands in a rocket attack in 
Fallujah in Iraq in the year 2004.
  This is so disappointing and outrageous. These veterans have been 
severely wounded, and the President that led us into an unjustified war 
charges $100,000 to be in their presence. That is wrong, Mr. Speaker. 
That is really, really wrong.
  Many of these wounded veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan live in the 
Third District in North Carolina, which I have the privilege to 
represent. For years, I have felt deep regret over my vote to go into 
Iraq; and to atone for that, I have publicly and privately apologized 
and signed over 11,000 letters to families who lost loved ones in 
Afghanistan and Iraq because of my mistake. President Bush and Vice 
President Cheney have never publicly apologized to the families for the 
unnecessary war they began.
  Mr. Speaker, I think my friend Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, who was 
chief of staff to former Secretary of State Colin Powell, was right 
about the Iraq war. On MSNBC a couple of months ago, Colonel Wilkerson 
stated: ``The intelligence was fixed, and everyone should know that by 
now. It was a failure of the intelligence agencies, but it was also a 
failure of the political people who manipulated the intelligence 
failure to their own benefit.''
  He further stated: ``It destroyed the balance of power in the Gulf 
and produced what we have today, the chaos we have today: al Qaeda in 
Iraq--never there until we invaded; ISIS--never there until we invaded; 
the mess we have in Yemen. Everything that's happening in the Middle 
East today can be attributed to our having destroyed the balance of 
power that we had carefully maintained for a half a century with the 
invasion in 2003. It was a disaster.''
  I have a lot of respect for Colonel Wilkerson because he is telling 
the truth when he made this statement to MSNBC.
  Let me repeat the words of Marine Eddie Wright, who lost both hands 
in Iraq: ``For him,'' President Bush, ``to be paid to raise money for 
veterans that were wounded . . . under his orders, I don't think that's 
right.''
  Mr. Speaker, it is not right; and I will add my own thoughts and use 
the word ``shameful,'' that the former President and his 
administration, who created an unnecessary war and sent our troops over 
there to die and also to be wounded, should not charge one dime to go 
help them out now.
  So with that, Mr. Speaker, I will ask God to bless America.

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