[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5417]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



         WILL PRESIDENT AL GORE PARDON PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON?

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, in an editorial in today's Washington Post, 
we hear once again that the new Independent Counsel Robert Ray is 
serious about indicting the President after he leaves office.
  The Post says that, ``A plausible indictment of Mr. Clinton, who has 
never publicly acknowledged the extent of his wrongdoing, could surely 
be drawn.''
  It goes on to say, ``Some opponents of impeachment argued during the 
congressional proceedings that Mr. Clinton's susceptibility to criminal 
prosecution after his term in office was a powerful reason not to 
remove him.''
  And the Post editorial continues in talking about disbarment and a 
$90,000 fine, arguing in the end that Mr. Ray should exercise 
restraint.
  Mr. Speaker, to me there is a more important question. The Associated 
Press reported yesterday the administration announced that the 
President will not pardon himself. But if the Vice President is 
successful in his bid to succeed his boss, would he then turn around 
and pardon him?
  The real question is, will President Al Gore pardon President Bill 
Clinton? I think he owes it to the American people to explain.

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