JOHN LINDER: “I rise today to respond to a charge by the President that Republicans are fomenting hysteria regarding the Whitewater…”

“I rise today to respond to a charge by the President that Republicans are fomenting hysteria regarding the Whitewater affair. That, of course, is ridiculous. Sure, before the special counsel asked that we do not, we would have liked the committees of jurisdiction to hold hearings on the issues that spring from this whole affair. We would have liked the Small Business Committee to investigate fully the charges that the Small Business Administration made a fraudulent loan to people attached to Madison Guaranty. And we think it would have been important for the Banking Committee to investigate fully the activities of the Madison Guaranty Savings & Loan. After all, they did not hesitate to question Neil Bush for several weeks. And I still believe that the Congress has a critical job to do here. That job is not to brush this sordid affair under the carpet. After all, part of the job of the Congress is to investigate when there is the hint of scandal attached to public officials and public funds. This is called oversight.”