Thomas Foley: “I am amazed at the hypocrisy of this Chamber. The minority leader had a similar circumstance--a similar fine levied…”

“I am amazed at the hypocrisy of this Chamber. The minority leader had a similar circumstance--a similar fine levied against him by the Federal Election Committee. He paid out of campaign funds. So, while he paid his fine out of campaign funds, we hear this hue and cry from the other side that the gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Gingrich] is somehow doing wrong. Had he borrowed the money from the bank, there would have been further questions about the bank's involvement with those funds. The Speaker has done the honorable thing by stepping forward and paying out of his own proceeds. The gentleman from Florida [Mr. Deutsch], offers a privileged resolution wanting interest payments on the fine. The gentleman from Florida, when he ran for this job, loaned his own campaign $300,000. Upon his election to this Chamber, he went to the PAC community and solicited funds from them in order to repay the loan to himself. Does the American public have the opportunity to go to PAC's to repay their loans as he used a little special-interest venture capital to finance his run for office? Absolutely not. The gentleman from Florida does, and then he files a resolution asking for the payment of interest. Mr. Speaker, we are putting this behind us and we are moving forward to help the American people.”