Political Quotes

“I will vote against both the Republican and the Democrat resolutions. I hold that the Attorney General should appoint an independent counsel to investigate alleged improprieties by Democrats and by Republicans in fundraising for the 1996 Presidential and congressional campaigns. I believe the public will only be reassured if an independent counsel looks into what has been happening. The issues must be aired in an independent, nonpartisan setting. And if there have been violations of law, there must be consequences. Last week, after much debate, the Senate agreed to fund the Governmental Affairs Committee probe into illegal and improper fundraising and spending practices in the 1996 Federal election campaigns. A unanimous Senate believed that a credible investigation requires that we look not only at our President, but also at ourselves. So, too, should an independent counsel. Senate Joint Resolution 22 suggests that the scope of the independent counsel's investigation should be limited to the allegations of wrong-doing by Democrats in the 1996 Presidential campaign. There is no mention of an investigation of congressional campaigns. Senate Joint Resolution 23 does not call for the appointment of an independent counsel. To say again, in my view, an independent counsel is the only entity capable of conducting an investigation without dissolving into partisan bias. And it is the only way of proceeding that avoids the appearance of conflict of interest.”