James T. Callahan: “I am not a lawyer, and I do not apologize for that, I am just not. But I do have a legal question that I would like for…”

“I am not a lawyer, and I do not apologize for that, I am just not. But I do have a legal question that I would like for some of the legalese Members who are so educated in the law to inform me. The Mobile Press Register, my hometown newspaper, recently published a story where it says a former Internal Revenue informant in a Mobile diesel fraud case claims the IRS paid him to skip town during the May trial where his testimony could have helped the defense. When we questioned, or when the press questioned, the IRS and the Defense Department as to whether or not it took place, they admitted that they gave the man $2,500 to leave town during the trial so he could not testify against the defense or for the defense. The FBI then said, well, this guy is a liar and that he cannot be trusted. Well, if he is a liar and he cannot be trusted, why did they give him $2,500? Does the Federal Government have the authority, any of the legalese Members can tell me, to pay a defense witness to leave town if he agrees not to be there during the trial and testify, and, if that is the case, does the underlying amendment offered by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. McDade) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha), does it help correct a situation taking place like that in the future?”