Political Quotes

“it has been said that no price can be placed on honesty, not $3, not $300,000. After 3 months of carefully calculating every angle, of exploring fully the political calculus of every other alternative, the Speaker has reluctantly decided to do what law violators do in America every day: pay the fine for an offense on which a guilty plea was entered and a conviction found. This decision, though belated, should be accepted by this House on both sides of the aisle, accepted but not applauded, not applauded any more than we would applaud the decision of a major polluter who had injured the public health and welfare through its pollution and then paid a fine for the conviction. For pollution is what has occurred here, lies and deception that threaten the very fabric of our democracy. Nor does this payment remove other offenses that are still pending, some over 18 months. There is nothing noble about the payment of the fine. There is something very ignoble about the conduct that produced it.”