John Tierney: “let me just say that as a member of the committee, I think that it is important to note that everybody on the Democratic…”

“let me just say that as a member of the committee, I think that it is important to note that everybody on the Democratic side of this committee is perfectly willing to step forward and investigate any alleged abuses of our campaign finance reform system, whether they be Democratic or Republican. What we are not willing to do is to proceed with an investigation that is overly partisan, which lacks any credibility and which is not inclusive. Whether my colleagues are a prior judge or a prior professor or whatever their background is, I think everybody can recognize that there is no value to the outcome of any investigation that does not have integrity, that is not credible and that was not inclusive of the entire committee that was charged with the investigation. Mr. Speaker, from the first time we sat down in this committee, we suggested that we not duplicate the efforts of the Senate, that we work with them, that we not spend twice as much money. A strictly partisan vote defeated that idea, and it has been that way every day in that committee since then. I should think that if my colleagues want to have an investigation that means anything, they want to have an investigation that the people can have confidence in, they will get off the partisanship and move toward the credibility; and we ask that the committee do that.”