Date: 1987-08-05
Speaker: ST GERMAIN (democrat)
Chamber: H

that the House Ethics Committee would not have pursued them. I fundamentally believe that a charge this serious would have been pursued as a part of that investigation. I believe the integrity of the members of that committee is such that they would not have ignored this matter. It was not known to them at this point. Despite the fact that it may have qualities of rumor about it. they would have looked into it because it fits precisely with that which they were investigating in their previous work. The chairman of the committee just said that the heart of the resolution is the informational clauses. the whereas clauses. I would contend something entirely different. that the heart of this resolution is exactly as the heart of all resolutions are. it is in the resolve clause. It puts the question before the House as to whether or not we ought to take a further look into this matter. And I think the evidence suggests that we should take a further look. The report that the chairman referred to does speak for itself. I thoroughly agree with the chairman on that. The report. as the gentleman from Georgia has pointed out. says that Mr. ST GERMAIN made a number of ethical violations. I would say to the House that the report does notsay what the chairman of the Banking Committee says that it says. Let me quote to the House what the chairman of the Banking Committees opinion of that report is. He said. and I quote. "It is impossible to overstate the satisfaction I feel because my innocence has been officially confirmed by the Ethics Committee." There is no such report. The report of the Ethics Committee very strongly suggests. very strongly says that the chairman of the Banking Committee was guilty of major ethical violations. That is the reason why the rumor that we have heard talked about does not exist in a vacuum. This is not just a rumor coming into the Ethics Committee from out of nowhere. This is a matter which is a matter that was reported in thi one newspaper. but comes in the context of all the other things that we have already established on the record. things that the Ethics Committee itself has established. And. of course. there are not widespread reports. I agree with the chairman in that regard. But the fact is because of the questions that we know from the previous report it seems logical that questions here should be asked again on the new matters that are now before the House. This is not a new investigation that is being asked for here. If you willread the resolve clause of the report. what we are asking for is for a further August 5. 1987 investigation. in- other .words. an extension of that which the committee has already done because the charges here are in line with the charges of previous times. The chairman used the term that I think we ought to use as our way of judging this. He said if there is "a reasonable belief." Well. in light of all the. committee has put together. it certainly seems to me that we have reason to believe that these charges could have some foundation. particularly when you take the important point that I think the chairman has made. that he has reason to believe that the Justice Department is looking into this matter right now. Now when we have a criminal investigation under way in the Justice Department on matters like IranContra. it does not prevent this House from asking questions itself in a special committee. Why should we apply a different ethical standard to ourselves? Good heavens. what we have now is a standard that if the Justice Department is investigating we do not look and if the Justice Department is not investigating we do not look. That is not a good enough way of proceeding. I would suggest that it is very important that we vote for this resolution. that this resolution does make sense. that it makes sense in light of the need for this House to assure itself of the highest possible ethical conduct. The arguments made by the chairman are as good as far as they go. but they do not go far enough.