Congressional Record—Senate S1442
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S1442 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE February 29, 1996 to extend the Senate Committee’s in- diately, write its report, and let the White House where the White House vestigation into Whitewater indefi- American people hear what the com- counsel could go through them and nitely and if an additional $600,000 for mittee has to say. I believe the Senate provide responsive matters to the com- the investigation should be provided. should get back to the job we were mittee. It was only by chance that I oppose this attempt to extend the elected to do. Get back to meeting the these documents, then, were later dis- hearings indefinitely. The Senate has day to day needs of the American peo- covered in that box that had been sent already spent $950,000 on 277 days of ple. The American public deserves our over to the Peace Corps and then were Whitewater investigation, heard from full attention. put back into the loop so that they more than 100 witnesses, and collected f eventually came to the committee. more than 45,000 pages of documents. A great to-do is made of the fact that Enough is enough. WHITEWATER if you have a fixed date for ending, you Let me tell you what I support. I sup- Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I lis- will not get the documents, and that port Senator DASCHLE’s proposal to tened with great interest while my col- to-do is made over documents that we complete the task at hand by extend- league, the distinguished Senator from have gotten. I find it incredible—in ing the hearing until April 3, 1996, with New York, and his colleagues went on other words, these documents are fur- a final report due on May 10, 1996. I also for some length, and I do not intend to nished to us and then an argument is support letting the Independent Coun- match that length at this hour. I do made if you have a fixed date—as we sel do his work. Three federal judges not think that is really necessary, but did, the date of February 29—you will have given him the job of investigating there are some matters that I think not get the documents. I do not know Whitewater and all related matters. He ought to be reviewed with respect to how you square the two. We get the has more than 130 staff members help- this Whitewater matter. documents. They are provided to us. ing him. There is no time limit or First, a great deal is being made Then the assertion is made if you have spending cap on his investigation, so he about these documents that appear, as a fixed date you will not get the docu- will be able to gather facts in a system- though it is a nefarious plot. I under- ments. We have a fixed date. We got atic and unencumbered way and to in- stand that people like to attach sin- the documents. The people provided vestigate Whitewater thoroughly. The ister intentions, but the explanation them to us in response to the request. results of his investigation will be for it may be far more innocent than I do not understand that argument. Ob- made public. If the Independent Coun- that. And I really want to include in viously, logically, it does not hold to- sel finds wrongdoing, he has the au- the RECORD an article that appeared a gether. thority to bring any lawbreakers to few weeks ago in the New York Times Now, the issue here is essentially the justice. By permitting him to do what by Sidney Herman, a former partner of difference between the request of my none of us can do and what none of us Kenneth Starr. Let me quote from it: colleague from New York, Chairman should be doing, we will get a complete D’AMATO, for an open-ended extension Documents that are relevant to an inves- rendering of the facts. That’s the right tigation are found in an unexpected place 6 of this inquiry, and the proposal put thing to do. That’s what I support. months after they were first sought. A forth by Senator DASCHLE for an exten- What I don’t support is using Senate shocking development? Absolutely not. In sion until April 3 for hearings and until committees to play Presidential poli- most major pieces of litigation, files turn up May 10 to file the report. tics. The goal of this proposed exten- late. One side or the other always thinks of When this resolution was first sion is very clear. It’s about Presi- making something of the late appearance. passed, it was passed on the premise dential politics. And, it’s about vili- But these lawyers know the truth. It could that there would be an ending date, fying Mrs. Clinton in the name of Pres- just as easily happen to them. Despite dili- February 29, and the rationale ad- idential politics. This attack on her is gent searches, important papers in large or- vanced in part for that ending date was ganizations are always turning up after the unprecedented. She has voluntarily an- initial and follow-up searches. to keep this matter out of the Presi- swered questions on four occasions dential election year and therefore from the Grand jury and on three occa- Later on he goes on to say: avoid the politicizing of these hearings sions in interviews for the Grand jury, My former partner, Kenneth Starr, knows and the erosion of any public con- numerous written questions, and she all this. As independent counsel in the fidence in the hearings because of a Whitewater investigation, he will take it has been cooperative with the com- into account. But the American people have perception that they were being con- mittee. I know her personally. Like no reason to know that this is a normal oc- ducted for political reasons. many others across the Nation, I have currence. It is not part of their every-day ex- I listened with some amazement ear- deep admiration and respect for her. perience. Reporters really do not have any lier as the Washington Post editorial Like so many other American women reason to know this either, or they may was cited by my colleagues on the she has struggled to meet the demands know and simply choose to ignore it. other side of the aisle in support of of both a career and a family. She is Now, Mr. President, I ask unanimous their position for an unlimited exten- dedicated to her family and she is a consent that article be printed in the sion. Now, that is the position, and I dedicated advocate for children. For RECORD at the end of my remarks. recognize it, of the New York Times. I more than 25 years she worked on be- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without recognize that the New York Times’ half of children and families which she objection, it is so ordered. posture is for an indefinite extension; discusses in her book ‘‘It Takes a Vil- (See exhibit 1.) but the Washington Post, which was lage’’. In ‘‘Village’’, Mrs. Clinton Mr. SARBANES. I place it in the also cited in support, said today, very shares with the public her passion, con- RECORD simply to make the point, as clearly, ‘‘The Senate should require the viction, and insight, gleaned from her the article does, that the appearance of committee to complete its work, experience as a mother, daughter, ad- documents a considerable period of produce a final report by a fixed date.’’ vocate, attorney, and First Lady. time after they have been requested is, Now, they question the dates that we Mrs. Clinton has truly inspired a gen- in fact, not a shocking development. put forward as perhaps being too short eration of men, women and children. This goes on all the time, as anyone in- a period. They said a limited extension She has worked to raise her own family volved in litigation or document re- makes sense but an unreasonably short and she has worked to protect a gen- quests well knows. deadline does not. They said 5 weeks eration of children. So I don’t support In each instance, of course, one has may not be enough time. They sug- extending the Senate committee’s in- to judge the explanation for the late- gested maybe there should be a little vestigation into Whitewater. appearing documents with respect to extra time, running in the range of We should not ask taxpayers to con- their plausibility, but as I indicated through April or early May. In other tinue subsidizing this round of Presi- when we were discussing Mr. Gearan words, a few more weeks beyond what dential politics and this attack on Mrs. earlier, his explanation, I thought, was the leader has proposed in the alter- Clinton. Instead, I say, let’s get on very straightforward. He said by mis- native, which my distinguished friend with the business of this country and take these had been packed into a box from Nebraska has suggested was a its citizens. The Senate committee he took with him to the Peace Corps. possible way of approaching this mat- should finish its investigation imme- He thought they had remained at the ter. VerDate Aug 31 2005 06:15 Jun 20, 2008 Jkt 041999 PO 00000 Frm 00044 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 J:\ODA16\1996_F~1\S29FE6.REC S29FE6 mmaher on MIKETEMP with SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS February 29, 1996 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S1443 In any event, so that readers of the the then-minority leader, Senator That official report is in, but hardly any- RECORD can judge for themselves, I ask DOLE.