Duncan Faircloth: “I rise to speak on what I consider a travesty that I believe to be imminent. Mr. President, yesterday a number of…”

“I rise to speak on what I consider a travesty that I believe to be imminent. Mr. President, yesterday a number of newspapers reported that President Clinton refused to rule out a pardon for his Whitewater business partners James and Susan McDougal and former Gov. Jim Guy Tucker. He would not rule it out, and, Mr. President, I believe that he has ruled it in. The President said that such pardons would be handled in a routine fashion. I do not see how he can think about handling the McDougals and Governor Tucker in a routine fashion. That is absurd. His statements should serve as a warning to voters of what to expect after the election. It is very possible that there will be pardons for all those involved in Whitewater, and the significance of this outrage should not be lost on the public. The President was sending a strong message to the McDougals and their friends. Susan McDougal is in jail for contempt of court because she refuses to answer legitimate questions before a duly constituted Federal grand jury that is attempting to investigate Whitewater. Her defiance is a challenge to the foundation of our judicial system, and, Mr. President, her attempt to politicize her criminal convictions, handed down by a jury of fellow Arkansans, is outrageous. She clearly got the message yesterday, however, when she read the headlines. Essentially, the message was, ``Hang in Susan. The cavalry is coming. Don't break down and cooperate.”