John Conyers: “I rise today to put into the Record a letter that I have sent to the Office of the Inspector General of the Department…”

“I rise today to put into the Record a letter that I have sent to the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Defense asking that we investigate or have investigated the allegations of conflict of interest and other possible misconduct involving Mr. Richard N. Perle, formerly chairman of the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board. As a special government employee, he is caught by all the ethics rules that preclude and severely limit his ability to operate with businesses connected with the military. Madam Speaker, I include for the Record this letter. The material referred to is as follows: House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, Washington, DC, March 24, 2003. Hon. Joseph E. Schmitz, Office of the Inspector General, Department of Defense, The Pentagon, Washington, DC. Dear General Schmitz: I am writing to request that your office immediately open an investigation into allegations of conflict of interest and other misconduct involving Richard N. Perle, Chairman of the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board. As a result of this position, Mr. Perle is considered a ``special government employee,'' and is subject to government ethics prohibition--both regulatory and criminal--on using public office for private gain.”