Norma Torres: “following this past week's events regarding the Speaker's book deal it has become clear to us here in Congress that the…”

“following this past week's events regarding the Speaker's book deal it has become clear to us here in Congress that the Republicans do not want the American people to know about the details. I ask, is it coincidence that Republican members of the House Commerce Committee met yesterday in a closed door session with the CEO's of major telecommunications companies--among them multimillionaire publishing magnate Rupert Murdoch? And today's Washington Post reports that Speaker Gingrich addressed the group at a closed dinner last night. Is it coincidence that Democrats are being silenced and ruled out of order when questioning the book deal? The Republicans have stated that they want a more open House--should the American people be shut out from knowing what happened last night behind closed doors? What happened to letting the sunshine in? Mr. Speaker, the American people want to know.”