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“MEASURE READ FOR THE FIRST TIME--S. 1561” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Senate section on pages S914 on Feb. 6, 1996.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
MEASURE READ FOR THE FIRST TIME--S. 1561
Mr. DOLE. Madam President, I understand that S. 1561, introduced today by Senator Hatch, is at the desk. I ask for its first reading.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will read the bill for the first time.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (S. 1561) for the relief of the individuals whose employment at the White House Travel Office was terminated.
Mr. DOLE. Madam President, I now ask for its second reading and object to my own request on behalf of Senators on the other side of the aisle.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard. The bill will be read on the next legislative day.
Mr. HATCH. Madam President, today I introduced a bill to address a grave miscarriage of justice--the wrongful investigation prosecution of Mr. Billy Dale and the other former White House Travel Office employees. Mr. Dale served his country at the pleasure of eight Presidents as the Director of the White House Travel Office. During his 32 years of service, Mr. Dale took on the thankless and often grueling task of ensuring that the national and international media were in a position to cover the movements of the President and thus report to the American and worldwide public.
As thanks for his numerous years of dedicated service, Mr. Dale was summarily discharged from his post on May 19, 1993, and was thereafter indicted and prosecuted for embezzlement. On December 1, 1995, after 2\1/2\ years of being investigated and haunted on a daily basis, Mr. Dale was tried before a jury of his peers and, in less than 2 hours, found not guilty of all charges.
The travesty in this situation is that Mr. Dale simply got caught in the political crossfire of a new administration. He had served eight Presidents, both Democratic and Republican, but found himself in a job that, apparently, was an impediment to the ambitious money-making schemes of the new President's friends. President Clinton certainly could have dismissed Mr. Dale without cause, but I believe the Clinton administration may have felt the need to justify its actions in firing Mr. Dale and the other White House Travel Office employees given the tremendous media interest in this dismissal. The reputations of Mr. Dale and his colleagues were discredited and ruined in the process.
I have a great deal of respect for the First Lady. But, on April 6, 1994, in response to questions about the White House Travel Office situation, Mrs. Clinton stated that she ``had no role in the decision to terminate the employees.'' (Responses of Hillary Rodham Clinton to the General Accounting Office, Apr. 6, 1994) Moreover, she ``did not direct any action be taken by anyone with regard to the Travel Office, other than expressing an interest in receiving information * * *''(Id.)
Unfortunately, these statements do not coincide with the evidence we have come to discover in recent months. In fact, it appears as though the First Lady was actively involved in the decision to fire the White House Travel Office employees. According to notes taken by David Watkins--the former Assistant to the President for Management and Administration who oversaw the workings of the Travel Office--during his conversation with the First Lady on May 14, 1993, 5 days before the Travel Office employees were dismissed, Mrs. Clinton articulated that
``Harry [Thomason] says his people can run things better, save money, etc. And besides we need those people out--we need our people in--we need the slots.'' (GAO report, The White House Travel Office, at 53-54)
Moreover, according to a recently released memorandum written by Mr. Watkins, ``[t]he First Family was anxious to have that situation [the White House Travel Office] immediately resolved, and the First Lady in particular was extremely upset with the delayed action in that case.''
(Draft memorandum from David Watkins, re: ``Response to Internal White House Travel Office Management Review,'' (undated) at 2.) Mr. Watkins also notes ``that there would be hell to pay if, * * * we failed to take swift and decisive action in conformity with the First Lady's wishes.'' (Id. at 1-2.) This memorandum was not released by the White House for more than 2 years despite subpoenas from Congress and Whitewater Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr.
In May 1993, the Travel Office employees were fired and told to vacate the premises. Needing to justify its actions before the employees were terminated, the White House met with and urged the FBI to investigate the White House Travel Office using allegations concocted by Catherine Cornelius, President Clinton's cousin who desperately wanted to replace Mr. Dale in running the White House Travel Office. Indeed, the FBI helped craft the White House's press release about the firings. Peat Marwick was hired to do an audit of the Office, but its own report did not substantiate the allegations asserted by the White House. Modest financial irregularities are not the same as embezzlement.
This story would be tragic enough if it ended here, but it does not. The Department of Justice indicted Mr. Dale, seemingly without concern for their lack of evidence. This is best demonstrated by the fact that the citizens sitting on the jury, who heard the evidence, exonerated Mr. Dale in less than 2 hours. This inappropriate use of the Federal criminal justice system created a situation for Mr. Dale where he had to expend $500,000 and even considered taking a plea when he had committed no crime.
After the jury summarily dismissed the allegations, someone leaked the existence of the plea negotiations to the public in an attempt to further discredit Mr. Dale's reputation. Not only are plea negotiations a necessary part of our judicial system, they are intended to remain confidential and are not to be used against a criminal defendant.
I cannot, in good conscience, sit quietly when I believe an arrogant abuse of power has occurred. The power of the White House was wielded to make victims of the inculpable. The targeting of dedicated public servants apparently because they held positions coveted by political profiteers demands an appropriate response. Although their muddied personal reputation may never be fully restored, it is only just that the Congress do what it can to rectify this wrong. Accordingly, I introduce this bill to make Mr. Dale and the other former White House Travel Office employees whole, at least financially, by providing for their attorneys fees and expenses.
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