Thomas Daschle: “If the Senator will allow me to respond, Mr. President, the answer is absolutely yes. We decided last year that this had…”

“If the Senator will allow me to respond, Mr. President, the answer is absolutely yes. We decided last year that this had extraordinary political sensitivity. We understood last year that this would be a Presidential election year, and that before we got mired in all the Presidential politics, before we ended up trying to resolve this in the midst of Republican and Democratic conventions, that it was critical that we came to closure. That was critical, that we allow the independent counsel to do its work. That is why Senator D'Amato said it so well: "We want to keep it out of the political arena. That is why we feel the need for a 1-year request." So the Senator from Maryland is absolutely right. It was our intention back then, it is our intention now. Let us keep it out of the political arena.”