Political Quotes

“the whole purpose of the independent counsel law--to get politics out of the process of investigating politically potent matters--has been severely undercut recently by partisan efforts to bully the Attorney General into appointing an independent counsel to investigate fundraising activities in the 1996 Presidential campaign. In fact, some Republicans in Congress have threatened that if Janet Reno refuses to do what they want, she will be investigated and her job will be at stake. This marks a new low in the politicization of the independent counsel process. These threats demean our system of justice and, I fear, undermines public confidence in all branches of government. Continued politicization of the independent counsel process will be the death knell for this law. The American people already have legitimate questions about how much independent counsels cost, how long they take, and how this law is working. By last count, independent counsels have cost taxpayers a total of over $125 million. Whitewater counsel Ken Starr alone has already spent over $22 million. We still have an independent counsel investigating matters from the Reagan administration. Suspicions about the role of partisan politics in the selection of so-called independent counsels are already strong.”