Nancy Pelosi: “Mr. Speaker, for seven of the eleven years that I have served in Congress, I have served on the Committee on Standards…”

“Mr. Speaker, for seven of the eleven years that I have served in Congress, I have served on the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct or the ethics task force. It is from that perspective that I have several questions to ask. If indeed what we are talking about here today is the process under which the Starr report will be released, why then have the airwaves been filled with details of the Starr report for the last 36 hours? It has supposedly been under lock and key here. One can only assume the leaks are coming from the Independent Counsel's office. My second question is to you, Mr. Speaker. Why would you not afford the President of the United States the same opportunity you were given by the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct of having almost a week's advance notice to review the charges against you, so that you could have your response be part of the report? Let me just say, the good news about the leaks is that this four-year investigation apparently vindicates President Clinton in the conduct of his public life, because we are only left with this personal stuff. My third question relates to our Founding Fathers. I believe the last question is what would our Founding Fathers think of this course we are embarking on today? I think they would say it was not for the investigation of a President's personal life that we risked our lives, our liberty and our sacred honor.”