Political Quotes

“last November we passed the Roth-Grassley amendment to the crime bill, 100-0. In that amendment, we denounced the Justice Department's new, narrow interpretation of the Federal child pornography statutes announced by the Solicitor General in the case of United States versus Knox. We implored the Justice Department to enforce the law and to protect our children. President Clinton supported our effort by sending a letter to the Attorney General which stated that he ``fully agree(d) with the Senate about what the proper scope of the child pornography law should be.'' I was heartened by the President's words of support. Unfortunately, I have to report today that despite the President's words, the Justice Department has done nothing to alter its new, narrow, and dangerous interpretation of the child pornography laws. To review the facts, the Justice Department successfully prosecuted Stephen Knox for possession of child pornography, Mr. Knox having previously been convicted of a similar offense. The Third Circuit then upheld the conviction on appeal. In March 1993, the Justice Department's initial Supreme Court brief argued that the Third Circuit was right and that the conviction should stand. The video tapes at issue depicted girls as young as 10 who, although not nude, were posed provocatively with the camera frequently zooming in on the children's pubic and genital areas for extended periods.”