Rick Lazio: “I take this opportunity to salute my colleagues on the other side of the aisle in this House for reconsidering their…”

“I take this opportunity to salute my colleagues on the other side of the aisle in this House for reconsidering their initial position and finally agreeing to hold congressional hearings on Whitewater. The House has now joined the Senate in seeing the wisdom, if not the inevitability, of congressional hearings on this matter. It is vitally important to the country that the President get this behind him, and the sooner the better. The surest and quickest way to do that is to let the sun shine, and the best way to make that happen is through the constitutionally appropriate role of congressional hearings. From Nannygate to Travelgate to Whitewater, the continuing ethical struggles within the Clinton administration, made worse by their murky explanations, provide ample evidence that this White House still has a lot to learn. The upcoming hearings will facilitate that process. Without the full disclosure that hearings can provide, Congress and the administration are more likely to become preoccupied with Whitewater and bog down on other, far more important issues--issues like health reform, crime, and welfare reform.”