Political Quotes

“what I am seeking by this amendment is to make this a better independent counsel bill. Right now the threshold for triggering a preliminary investigation by the Attorney General, simply requires that ``information,'' not evidence--information is received sufficient to constitute grounds that a covered person ``may'' have violated any Federal criminal law. I suggest to the Members that is way too low. I suggest to the Members to make this a meaningful, effective statute, we ought to elevate the triggering threshold to the ``specific evidence from a credible source.'' I am tightening up what is a rather loosely drawn piece of law that has too wide a net. 28 U.S.C. Sec. 591(a). I am doing this, Mr. Chairman, as a Republican. One would think it would be in our interests to have the threshold low, to catch as many people as possible. I can assure the Members, that is not in my interest. That is not my intention. I have always supported the Independent Counsel law. I voted for it in 1978. I voted to reauthorize it in 1983 and 1987. But I want it to be a professionally drawn, good, effective law that provides due process. I do not want to trigger expensive and sometimes awkward investigations that are brought sometimes for political purposes. The manpower, the resources of the Justice Department should not have to be expended on surmise, on rumors, on innuendo, on more allegations.”