David Skaggs: “the effort by the proponents of the so- called McIntosh amendment to abuse and repress political expression in this…”

“the effort by the proponents of the so- called McIntosh amendment to abuse and repress political expression in this country keeps on causing abuses of its own. First, abusing the regular legislative process and sticking this ill-advised bill into an appropriations measure. Then abusing committee authority by subjecting witnesses at yesterday's hearing to an inquisition about their protected first amendment activities. And now an abuse of decency and truth, putting out a sleazy forgery concocted by Committee on Government Reform and Oversight staff to deceive and mislead. Yesterday, at the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight hearing on this crazy measure, this document, forged by committee staff to look like the stationery of an organization called as a witness, but containing false and misleading information, was put out. How low will the backers of this awful idea stoop to achieve their illicit purposes? To add insult to this injury, the chairman has the temerity to claim this forgery was not intended to deceive. Madam Speaker, forgeries, by definition, are intended to deceive. ____________________”