Cliff Stearns: “I come to the House floor to not talk about the debate whether Elian should be reunited with his father or not. I think…”

“I come to the House floor to not talk about the debate whether Elian should be reunited with his father or not. I think the majority of Americans say he should. What I am here to talk about is the constitutionality of what was done by the Justice Department, and to pose some questions and urge our leadership on this side to hold hearings. Regrettably, the American people, the Miami relatives of Elian Gonzalez and the Congress still do not have all of the answers which led up to the events that transpired on that Easter recess by the Justice Department and the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Madam Speaker, of course, the world has seen that famous photograph by now of an INS SWAT officer pointing an assault rifle at Elian, that assault rifle was a Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun. The Attorney General during Easter weekend, ordered armed forces into the house of Mr. Lazaro Gonzalez in order to free Elian and reunite him with his father. What the world, Americans and Congress do not know are the events that led up to activities that transpired during and after the government's raid on a private citizen's home, just as the Congress did in the case of the Waco and Ruby Ridge. I think it is the responsibility of this legislative branch to seek the truth and have government justify its actions in instances in which the sacred constitutional liberties of Americans have been jeopardized.”