Mike Levin: “The collective wisdom of the Governmental Affairs Committee, unanimously adopted, is that we should look at both illegal…”

“The collective wisdom of the Governmental Affairs Committee, unanimously adopted, is that we should look at both illegal and improper activities. I do not think there is a slightest doubt that both of those are within the investigative jurisdiction of the Governmental Affairs Committee. And nothing my friend from Virginia here today says anything to the contrary. Both illegal and improper activities are within the investigative jurisdiction of the Governmental Affairs Committee. And here we have a Rules Committee on a partisan vote saying to a committee of jurisdiction that has jurisdiction to investigate both illegal and improper activity: ``Sorry. This additional funding can only be used on what is already illegal. You may not investigate activities which maybe should be made illegal.'' I believe that is unprecedented. I am not saying the Rules Committee cannot do that. I am saying it is unprecedented. I believe it is unwise for the Rules Committee to do that institutionally. More importantly, I believe that the Nation requires an investigation of both illegal and improper, and that is what with the bipartisan unanimous vote of the Governmental Affairs Committee was. It is to me just the wrong message to send to the country that we are not going to let the investigative body look into improper activities, particularly involving soft money; independent expenditures which are now for the most part legal, not totally because there are some questions of illegality.”