[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 13]
[House]
[Pages 17417-17418]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         LET THE TRUTH BE KNOWN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I always have risen to the 
floor at this time to try to speak on the unfinished business of this 
House. Just for a quick moment I am going to speak at length about the 
first issue at another time, but I do want to join with my colleagues 
that are raising the concern about whether or not evidence 
substantiated representations that were made by the President of the 
United States on the determination or the actuality of weapons of mass 
destruction. I hope to be able to debate that question at a later time 
and to reiterate my call for an independent commission and as well a 
special prosecutor.
  I leave just a singular sentence, and that is that the truth should 
be known and the truth should be known not only by this body and the 
other body, but the truth should be known by the American people.
  Mr. Speaker, today I rise, however, to recount for my colleagues the 
final results of the resolution of inquiry before the House Committee 
on the Judiciary today. And after a vigorous debate, I am sad to say 
that the House Committee on the Judiciary reported unfavorably this 
resolution of inquiry.

[[Page 17418]]

It is a simple inquiry and it is broader than what you may have heard 
over the weeks and days on the Texas incident regarding the 
redistricting plan that has gone haywire, 55 Democrats, legislators, 
civilians, who decided that the legislative process was so broken that 
they had to leave for Ardmore and the belief by this body and Members 
of this body that it was a Federal offense and abuse of power by the 
use of Federal resources, this resolution simply asked that the 
Attorney General be directed within 14 days to be able to present all 
of the facts so that, again, the truth could be known.
  I am disappointed that even after a vigorous debate, even after 
narrowing the resolutions, even after the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
Conyers) offered an amendment to suggest that issues dealing with 
congressional staff, issues dealing with any other staff that could be 
utilized, a fair amendment, even after encountering a debate with our 
colleagues on the other side of the aisle that we would be willing to 
compromise so that the truth would be known why we had leadership of 
this House calling the FBI to go after individuals who were only 
expressing their viewpoint in objection to a runaway legislative 
process in the State of Texas.
  That resolution was voted down, but we will not be stopped because it 
is important that the Committee on the Judiciary and this House not be 
known as the cover-up House of 2003. This body, dominated by 
Republicans, refused to pull back on the Articles of Impeachment on the 
President of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton, though many 
of us spoke against it. And their view was, the truth must be known.
  Now, when there has been an enormous suggestion and allegations of 
abuse of power, the use of the FBI, when we have newspaper reports and 
testimony or statements made by legislators who heard from the FBI, who 
heard from Homeland Security, we still cannot seem to get, if you will, 
the truth that should be told.
  So frankly, Mr. Speaker, I am hoping that there may be a 
reconsideration and we are going to offer another resolution of inquiry 
to be able to ensure the actual truth be told to the people of this 
House.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the distinguished gentleman from Michigan 
with respect to this issue because his amendment was a very advanced 
amendment, cooperative and collaborative amendment in the committee; 
and I would be happy to yield to the distinguished gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Conyers).
  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. 
Jackson-Lee).
  Mr. Speaker, the judiciary considered a resolution of inquiry into a 
matter involving the Texas legislature when many of the members removed 
themselves in an attempt to prevent a redistricting scheme that would 
have been obviously very detrimental to African American and Hispanic 
Americans.

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