[Page H3423]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            NO MEMBER OF THE HOUSE IS ABOVE THE HOUSE RULES

  (Mr. BONIOR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, Newt Gingrich is going to have one heckuva 
time explaining his way out of this one.
  On Monday, the LA Times reported that over the past 10 years, Newt 
Gingrich misused official staff for his own personal, political 
purposes. And this time, it is his own staff that are making the 
charges.
  Mr. Gingrich's former administrative assistant told the Times that 
``two top House aides on the congressional payroll openly ran 
Gingrich's reelection campaign from the district office.''
  His former district administrator, said that ``her pay was once 
docked $200 when she refused to allow government equipment to be used 
for campaign purposes.''
  Staff members even admit, and I quote, that ``House clerical staff 
was assigned to produce a book (in 1984) for which Gingrich and his 
wife received $24,000 in royalties.''
  And when asked why, one staff member said and I quote: ``Newt's 
attitude was: the rules don't apply to me.''
  Mr. Speaker, no Member of this body is above House rules.
  There is only one way for this ethical quagmire to end. As ``Common 
Cause'' said yesterday, we need an outside person to come in and make a 
judgment.

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