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“ATTACKS ON THE INDEPENDENT COUNSEL AND EFFORTS TO AVOID ACCOUNTABILITY” mentioning the Department of Interior was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H618-H619 on Feb. 25, 1998.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
ATTACKS ON THE INDEPENDENT COUNSEL AND EFFORTS TO AVOID ACCOUNTABILITY
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 7, 1997, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton) is recognized for 10 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to make some observations about the White House efforts to avoid accountability to the American people. It is very apparent that there has been a concerted White House attack on independent counsel Kenneth Starr, the independent counsel who has been investigating a number of serious allegations against the Clinton administration.
First, regarding all these attacks on Ken Starr: Attorney General Janet Reno approved the expansion of Starr's investigation into the Lewinsky-related matters as well as the Travelgate and Filegate matters of 1996.
Three Federal judges approved expansions of Mr. Starr's jurisdiction each time serious allegations arose. There was overwhelming approval of these actions from the Justice Department, according to reports.
In the past, the President said he was in the cooperation business with investigators. That simply has not been the experience of anyone investigating anything to do with this administration. What we have here is an orchestrated attack on Kenneth Starr, the independent counsel, in order to change the subject and avoid answering the real questions.
The Clinton White House has a history of engaging in smear campaigns against anyone conducting legitimate investigations. The President's attorneys and friends have attacked and demonized everyone who has conducted investigations of the President or members of his administration.
When FBI director Louis Freeh called for an independent counsel, the White House staff started maligning him in the press and trying to undermine one of the Nation's chief law enforcement officials. The President allowed these attacks.
Independent counsel Donald Smaltz, who has obtained six guilty pleas and six convictions and millions recovered in fines from wrongdoers, testified before my Committee on Government Reform and Oversight and was compared by one of my Democrat colleagues to a Nazi. Such mindless attacks are unprecedented and the Washington Post even attacked this senseless smear.
The Clinton White House has attacked every committee chairman who has conducted investigations: Senator Thompson, who conducted the Senate campaign finance investigation; the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Jim Leach), when he conducted the Whitewater investigation here in the House; Senator D'Amato, when he conducted the Senate Whitewater investigation; and Mr. Clinger, my predecessor, who had actively participated in many investigations of Republicans as well as Democrats.
So when we have the Clinton White House once again attacking, this time, Mr. Starr, the independent counsel, it is predictable and consistent. Instead of answering questions, the White House attacks the questioners, evades the press and changes the topic.
These are all legitimate and necessary investigations. The Clinton White House does not cooperate with investigators to get the truth out; they attack them.
Ken Starr has been doing the work the Justice Department has directed him to do. This attack on Mr. Starr is extremely misdirected.
Mr. Starr has had a distinguished legal career. He clerked for the Supreme Court, for Chief Justice Warren Burger when he first got out of law school. He served as the chief of staff to Attorney General William French Smith during the Reagan administration. He served as solicitor general of the United States and argued cases on behalf of the United States before the Supreme Court. He also served as a judge on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and has taught constitutional law at New York University Law School.
Mr. Starr also was called upon by the Senate to review Senator Packwood's diaries when Senator Packwood was embroiled in an ethics scandal. No one criticized him when he was involved in an investigation of a Republican Senator.
Now we learn that private investigators, get this, private investigators were hired to investigate Mr. Starr's team of Democrat and Republicans, a bipartisan group of career prosecutors. Last year, we learned these same private investigators investigated Oklahoma Senator Don Nickles' wife, and I believe other Members who have been investigating the White House have had private investigators looking into them and their past as well. And I believe that is being done to intimidate those who are trying to get the truth out.
Senators, both Democrats and Republicans, attacked the actions that were taken against Don Nickles' wife in last fall's Senate hearings. This suggests an effort to intimidate and silence both investigators and witnesses. That is just wrong. If we are trying to get the facts out to the American people, as investigators looking into illegal activities, or alleged illegal activities, we should not be intimidated, or there should be no attempt to intimidate us in doing our job. And that goes for Mr. Starr as well.
In his various positions, Mr. Starr had to go through the confirmation process; and never, never was his integrity put into question by anybody, Democrat or Republican. When he was appointed independent counsel, he was almost unanimously applauded as a fair and seasoned jurist.
Ken Starr selected as his legal ethics adviser for his office a Mr. Sam Dash, the chief counsel for the Watergate Committee. Ken Starr has selected a team of lawyers who are both Republican and Democrat, yet still the attack. Why? All of these attacks are designed to do two things: change the subject and delay the investigation. This has been a pattern and practice of the Clinton White House in response to each investigation, whether it be Travelgate, Filegate, Whitewater, the campaign finance investigation or this latest scandal.
This, after all, was going to be the most ethical administration in history. Yet consider this: Numerous close friends and senior aides of the President, such as Webster Hubbell, former Governor Jim Guy Tucker of Arkansas, and the President's former business partners, Jim and Susan McDougal, have been convicted and have served prison terms.
Four independent counsels have been appointed by Attorney General Reno, his Attorney General.
Independent counsel Kenneth Starr has secured 11 guilty pleas, three convictions and two indictments that are pending.
Independent counsel Donald Smaltz in the Espy investigation over at the Agriculture Department has secured six guilty pleas and six convictions with three indictments pending, including an indictment against former Agriculture Secretary Espy.
Independent counsel David Barrett, Cisneros investigation, has seven indictments pending, including an indictment of former HUD Secretary Cisneros.
Independent counsel Donald Pierson, of the Ron Brown investigation, his investigation was turned over to the Justice Department, which has now indicted DNC fund-raisers Nora and Gene Lum, as well as Ron Brown's son, Michael Brown.
And consider this: In the campaign finance investigation which I am conducting, over 70 people have taken the Fifth Amendment or fled the country.
This is not a history of the most ethical administration in history. It is not even close.
Just in the past few weeks, Attorney General Reno called for an appointment of an independent counsel regarding Secretary Babbitt at the Department of the Interior regarding actions with Indian tribes who are large DNC donors. All of this has come to pass because of the actions of the President and his appointees.
The attacks on Ken Starr should stop. The President has had five independent counsels appointed by his Attorney General. Some of his closest friends have been convicted of serious crimes and others have taken the Fifth Amendment or fled the country. Instead of attacking Mr. Starr, the President's lawyers, associates and friends should be allowing the answers to many legitimate questions to be answered.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to put into the Record four editorials by leading newspapers regarding this because I think it is very relevant. So, without objection, I hope you will do that.
Let me say one last thing. When we had the FBI director before my committee and I asked him if he had ever seen scandals before of the magnitude that we were investigating, he said, well, as a matter of fact, I have. And I said, could you tell me when that was? He said, when I was investigating organized crime in New York City.
Now, I am sure he wished he had that comment back, but the fact of the matter is these scandals are huge, they are out of control, and Mr. Starr should not be taken to task because he is trying to do his job.
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