TJ Cox: “Mr. Chairman, I too have great sympathy for the amendment being offered on the floor and great respect for its author…”

“Mr. Chairman, I too have great sympathy for the amendment being offered on the floor and great respect for its author, but I must oppose the amendment, and I must do so because it is unprecedented and in its effect very damaging. We have received letters from the inspector general of other departments, the Departments of Defense, Energy, Justice, Commerce, and the Central Intelligence Agency, expressing the strongest possible concern that this proposal creates a dangerous precedent which could undermine the investigative and oversight capabilities of IG's throughout the Government. It is important for us to recognize that no other IG office in the entire Federal Government is subject to the restrictions that this language would impose. Other departments of the Clinton administration fear that this amendment is a proverbial foot in the door that will undermine their authorities. The bill language would place the State Department's inspector general outside of standard Federal law enforcement policies and procedures and severely undermine the State Department IG's abilities to carry out its investigative function. It would significantly diminish the State Department inspector general's ability to hold departmental employees accountable for criminal wrongdoing.”