Political Quotes

James Traficant: “The White House said they made a mistake when they improperly obtained secret FBI files on 339 Americans who just…”

On the recordJune 11, 1996
The White House said they made a mistake when they improperly obtained secret FBI files on 339 Americans who just happened to be friends of Mr. Reagan and Mr. Bush. Mistake? Who is kidding whom here? This was a deliberate political act. It is disgusting. It is wrong. But what really grabs me is how many ways can you destroy a family? Billy Dale, the boss of the travel office, targeted, fired, acquitted in less than 90 minutes. Shame, ladies and gentlemen. Whether it is a Democrat or a Republican, anyone who uses the power of the FBI and the IRS to target political opponents is not only wrong, they may have committed a crime. There should be an investigation. And, as a Democrat, I say when we play partisanship with political machinations like this, we throw the Constitution out.
Said by
James Traficant
Ohio
Source
govinfo.gov

Editor's note · Context

Addressing the improper obtaining of FBI files and political targeting during a floor speech.

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