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“SPECIAL ORDERS THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES INJECTS HIMSELF INTO THE DIALLO VERDICT” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H644 on March 6, 2000.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
SPECIAL ORDERS
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES INJECTS HIMSELF INTO THE DIALLO
VERDICT
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Nethercutt) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. NETHERCUTT. Mr. Speaker, I noticed in yesterday's newspaper reports that President Clinton has now seen fit to inject himself into the case surrounding the Diallo verdict in New York. He has done so in a fashion which perpetuates his reputation for political opportunism.
The obligation of any President is to uphold the rule of law in this country, which obligation includes respect for and affirmation of our broader justice system. The President also has an obligation to unify the disparate peoples and views in our country by calling on ``our better angels,'' as Abraham Lincoln once said, seeking to heal the wounds that are too often inflicted by citizens and groups against each other in the history of our country.
Mr. Speaker, the President has an obligation to respect our jury system, as sometimes imperfect in hindsight it might be, for, to do otherwise, enhances cynicism and diminishes the natural conflict in criminal cases between the strength of a prosecutor's claim and the ability of a defense team to defend prosecutions that lack evidence and proof.
Finally, a President's personal stake in the outcome of a broader political contest should not be used as a weapon to gain political advantage in order to benefit a political ally and indict the law enforcement team of a political opponent in the process.
Yet, that is exactly what we see being done in creating a racial divide by second guessing a jury decision that was litigated as provided in our justice system in this country. By such statements, the entire police force of New York has been unfairly besmirched, when, in fact, the jury foreman happened to be of African American descent and publicly stated that racial prejudice had no bearing on the jury verdict, but instead, the prosecution was weak.
Missing an opportunity for judicious comment or healing words or affirmation of the rule of law and the verdicts of juries and the opportunity for all Americans to recognize that all defendants are presumed innocent was something that happened in this case. Their criminal guilt must be proved by the high standard of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, not just tipping the scales, but putting the scales all the way down.
Mr. Speaker, I was not at the trial and listened to the evidence; obviously, our President was not either. I fear that carelessness in this case may prove to be reckless, that those who would divide New York on improper grounds have already seized upon the President's words.
It is clear that the President has attempted to exert his personal undue influence on the political fortunes of his wife in New York in her Senate campaign and give justification for the Justice Department to exert itself in a case that was, by all accounts, fairly litigated, even though a very difficult outcome, knowing what we know now about the facts of the case. However, the jury in this case was the one charged with making this decision.
Had the President used the opportunity to speak against racial division in favor of responsible and unbiased police work, in favor of respect for all human beings in our country, regardless of religion or race or ethnic background, in favor of enhanced police training regarding racial sensitivity and restraint in cases of law enforcement apprehension so that all criminal suspects are accorded their constitutional rights, then this would be a day of admiration and respect for this particular Presidential proclamation.
Mr. Speaker, the risk posed by Mr. Clinton's declarations are not worth any political contest in any State, for any candidate, and certainly not for the racial and social harmony which is the common goal of our country. It is something we ought to strive to reach, not seek to divide.
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