Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, if all the things have been done that the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Smith) thinks have been done, and I think they may have, the Smith amendment is a power puff amendment. It is too weak. We will follow this carefully. If they have done it, then I think it should be more drastic. I would call to the attention of the gentleman from Michigan page 26 of the report. It says: ``Oil-For-Food: The committee directs the FBI to provide assistance in the United Nations' investigation of the Oil- For-Food Program, if requested by the recently established independent inquiry committee chaired by Paul Volcker. The committee strongly supports this investigation and encourages the FBI to make resources available as appropriate to assure its successful conclusion.'' So I think what the gentleman from Michigan is saying is accurate; and we will be very, very aggressive, but we called Mr. Volcker. I personally called the director of the FBI. He personally gave me a commitment to put his very best agents on this. Having said that, I think the gentleman's language would be better if it had been conditional, saying that if there is not cooperation by the Russians and by others, then this will be the case. But I do not want to do anything to keep Volcker from getting to the bottom of this.”