IV

105TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 308

Expressing the sense of the Congress with respect to the failure of Attorney

General Janet Reno to seek application for an independent counsel to

investigate a number of matters relating to the financing of campaigns

in the 1996 Federal election, including the conduct of President Clinton

and Vice President Gore.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JULY 24, 1998

Mr. BARR of Georgia submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was

referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress with respect to the

failure of Attorney General Janet Reno to seek application for an independent counsel to investigate a number

of matters relating to the financing of campaigns in

the 1996 Federal election, including the conduct of President Clinton and Vice President Gore.

Whereas the majority of the members of the Committee on

the Judiciary of the House of Representatives, in letters

dated March 12, 1997, and September 3, 1997, requested that the Attorney General request the appointment of an independent counsel to investigate a number

of matters relating to the financing of campaigns in the
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1996 Federal election, including the conduct of President

Clinton and Vice President Gore;

Whereas the majority of the members of the Committee on

the Judiciary of the Senate, in a letter dated March 13,

1997, requested that the Attorney General request the

appointment of an independent counsel to investigate a

number of matters relating to the financing of campaigns

in the 1996 Federal election, including the conduct of the

President and the Vice President;

Whereas the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,

Louis Freeh, in a memorandum sent to the Attorney

General in November 1997, called for the appointment of

an independent counsel to investigate matters relating to

the financing of campaigns in the 1996 Federal election;

Whereas the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation

stated in the memorandum, ‘‘It is difficult to imagine a

more compelling situation for appointing an independent

counsel.’’;

Whereas the Attorney General has denied the requests of the

Committees on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and the Senate to request the appointment of an

independent counsel to investigate a number of matters

relating to the financing of campaigns in the 1996 Federal election;

Whereas after a 10-month inquiry, Charles G. La Bella, the

Chief of the Department of Justice’s campaign finance

unit, has submitted a report to the Attorney General

stating there is no alternative but to seek an independent

counsel to investigate the political fundraising abuses in

President Clinton’s reelection campaign; and
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Whereas Mr. La Bella concluded that there was sufficient information to warrant the appointment based on the mandatory and discretionary provisions of the independent

counsel statute: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That the Congress—

3 (1) deplores the refusal of the Attorney General

4 to seek application for an independent counsel, pur5 suant to chapter 40 of title 28, United States Code,

6 concerning the 1996 election campaign of President

7 William Jefferson Clinton and Vice President Albert

8 Gore;

9 (2) condemns the continued control of the in10 vestigation by the Attorney General, despite her ac11 tual conflict of interest in investigating, among oth12 ers, the President at whose pleasure she serves, and

13 the Vice President;

14 (3) laments the loss of confidence of the Amer15 ican people in their Department of Justice, engen16 dered by this investigation, which continues to un17 dermine the notion of one standard of justice for all

18 Americans, regardless of position;

19 (4) instructs the Attorney General to faithfully

20 uphold and execute the laws she has sworn to up21 hold, specifically by seeking application for an inde-
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1 pendent counsel to investigate the 1996 Clinton2 Gore campaign, without further wrongful delay; and

3 (5) instructs the President to request that the

4 Attorney General seek application for an independ5 ent counsel to investigate the 1996 Clinton-Gore

6 campaign, without further wrongful delay.

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