`[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S.J. Res. 22 Referred in House (RFH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. J. RES. 22


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 19, 1997

               Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                            JOINT RESOLUTION


 
To express the sense of the Congress concerning the application by the 
   Attorney General for the appointment of an independent counsel to 
investigate allegations of illegal fundraising in the 1996 Presidential 
                           election campaign.

Whereas 28 U.S.C. Sec. Sec. 591 et seq., allows the Attorney General to make 
        application to the Special Division of the United States Court of 
        Appeals for the District of Columbia for the appointment of an 
        independent counsel when there is specific and credible information that 
        there may have been violations of Federal criminal law (other than a 
        class B or C misdemeanor or infraction) and the investigation of such 
        violations by the Department of Justice may result in a political 
        conflict of interest;
Whereas this Attorney General has previously exercised that discretion to apply 
        for the appointment of an independent counsel to investigate the 
        Whitewater matter on the basis of a political conflict of interest;
Whereas there has been specific, credible information reported in the media that 
        officers and agents of the Democratic National Committee and the 
        President's reelection campaign may have violated Federal criminal laws 
        governing political fundraising activities in connection with the 1996 
        Presidential election campaign;
Whereas, according to reports in the media, the Attorney General has found such 
        allegations of sufficient gravity that she has created a task force 
        within the Department of Justice and convened a grand jury to further 
        investigate them;
Whereas there has been specific, credible information reported in the media that 
        senior White House officials took an active role in and supervised the 
        activities of the President's reelection campaign and the Democratic 
        National Committee in connection with the 1996 Presidential election 
        campaign;
Whereas there is specific, credible information reported in the media that the 
        decisionmaking structure and implementation of fundraising activities 
        carried out by the Democratic National Committee and the President's 
        reelection campaign were supervised by White House officials, including 
        the President and Vice President; and
Whereas it is apparent that any investigation by the Department of Justice 
        allegations concerning the fundraising activities of the Democratic 
        National Committee and the President's reelection campaign will result 
        in a political conflict of interest because such an investigation will 
        involve those senior White House officials who took an active role in 
        and supervised the activities of the President's reelection campaign and 
        the Democratic National Committee: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled, That it is the sense of the 
Congress that the Attorney General should make application to the 
Special Division of the United States Court of Appeals for the District 
of Columbia for the appointment of an independent counsel to 
investigate allegations of illegal fundraising in the 1996 Presidential 
election campaign.

            Passed the Senate March 19, 1997.

            Attest:

                                                    GARY SISCO,

                                                             Secretary.`