Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, every Member expelled in the history of this institution has been convicted of crimes or were Confederate turncoats guilty of treason. Neither of those apply to me, but here we are. On what basis does this body feel that precedent must be changed for me? Mr. Speaker, I am an American citizen, duly elected, and elected to represent the Third District of New York. I have been convicted of no crimes. My loyalty to this country that gave me life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is true and unquestionable. I stand here today debating for the second time in less than a month for the same exact reasons that were brought up last time. The difference is that one can say I have been indicted once more by the findings of the Ethics Committee--a process that, by the admission of the chair himself, was not complete and conclusive because they didn't want to put more time into it, as if this committee runs on a schedule that, quite frankly, is in a rush. Mr. Speaker, some Members have been under investigation for over 5 years. Some leave while still under investigation. I am not trying to be arrogant or spiteful or disrespectful of the committee, but I am curious to know: What is the schedule of the Ethics Committee? Why rush this? To deliver a predetermined outcome sought out by some Members of our Conference or some Members of this body? This is what it looks like to me.…”