Bob Dole: “I rise today to report some great news for the Senate which should be welcomed universally on both sides of the aisle.…”

“I rise today to report some great news for the Senate which should be welcomed universally on both sides of the aisle. Our colleague from Texas, Kay Bailey Hutchison, was acquitted today of charges brought against her in a court in Fort Worth. This is great news for Kay and her husband Ray, great news for the people of Texas, and great news for the Senate. My view has always been that the charges brought against Senator Hutchison were a politically motivated attempt at character assassination. The real crime here was letting fairness take a back seat to politics. Political show trials have no place in Texas, and no place in America. Today's acquittal confirms what we have been saying all along. And hopefully this verdict today will set a valuable example--it is time to stop politically motivated legal harassment of public officials, whether they are Democrat or Republican. If a legitimate case can be made, that is one thing. But, as today's verdict indicates, these things can get out of hand. When the facts are not there to support a legitimate prosecution--no matter whether you are a Democrat or a Republican--it is nothing more than a politically motivated witch hunt. That is a shame, and it has to stop.”