Robert Torricelli: “I rise today to address two of the current investigations that are taking place within the Federal Government on this…”

“I rise today to address two of the current investigations that are taking place within the Federal Government on this day. They are very different and they involve different branches of the Government but are important to this country and many of our citizens. Mr. President, I will address first as a member of the Governmental Affairs Committee what I think is potentially an important new beginning in our investigation of the problems of the financing of the 1996 elections. Members of the committee have for some time had different perceptions about the most serious allegations involved in that investigation. This, of course, involves the question of whether or not there was an attempt by a foreign government, principally the Government of China, to influence our Federal elections in 1996. I believe that there is now a common understanding that while all sides previously acknowledged that there was probably such an attempt and regarded it seriously, there were differences about certain aspects of the allegations.”