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“COMMERCE SECRETARY RON BROWN” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Commerce was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H5940 on June 6, 1996.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
COMMERCE SECRETARY RON BROWN
(Ms. DeLAURO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, once again House Speaker Newt Gingrich has gone too far. He is alleging that the Commerce Department workers might have shredded documents after Secretary Brown's fatal crash in Croatia and that the staff delayed reporting this airplane crash with 26 incredible Americans on board. According to Gingrich's staff, the Speaker is, and I quote, ``Suggesting there might have been a coverup to get rid of Brown's papers after he died.''
This is extreme. It is irresponsible. It is not the behavior of a congressional leader.
When questioned about it, the Speaker's office responded, and I again quote, ``I think they are serious allegations, if subsequent facts support them, if subsequent facts support them, I think it is something other news outlets ought to look at and other agencies.''
In other words, we are going to make an outrageous allegation and then we are going to hope that eventually someone comes up with the facts to support it.
Has not the family of Commerce Secretary Ron Brown suffered enough? Speaker Gingrich, who did not even attend the funeral, owes the Brown family a public apology for making this irresponsible and fictional allegation.
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