---

Republican Dan Burton, chairman of the House Government Reform & Oversight Committee, tried again today to get his committee to approve immunity for four potential witnesses. The committee voted and failed, once again, to reach the 2/3 needed to grant immunity. Kwame Holman has the story.

---

A RealAudio version of this segment is available.

KWAME HOLMAN: Republican Dan Burton, chairman of the House Government Reform & Oversight Committee, tried again today to get his committee to approve immunity for four potential witnesses in the committee's ongoing investigation of fund-raising abuses during the last presidential campaign.

REP. DAN BURTON, Chairman, Government Reform Committee: These four individuals have exercised their Fifth Amendment rights, and they will not testify without immunity. The Justice Department has been consulted at length. The Justice Department does not oppose immunity in any of these cases. In fact, the Justice Department has already immunized two of these people.

KWAME HOLMAN: But Burton was well aware that the primary issue for Democrats on the committee today was not immunity but his chairmanship.

REP. DAN BURTON: Today some of my colleagues are going to accuse me of abusing my powers. If you want to have a debate about abuse of power, that is a debate I would welcome. Let's discuss whether it's an abuse of power for the president to misuse executive privilege to keep witnesses from testifying in criminal investigations.

KWAME HOLMAN: But Democrats wanted to debate what they contend is Burton's abuse of power as committee chairman. Just this week, Henry Waxman, the ranking Democrat on the committee, called for Burton to step down as chairman.

REP. HENRY WAXMAN, (D) California: There's never been an investigation where the chairman has asserted the kind of power that Chairman Burton has. And there's never been an investigation that's been so plagued by mistakes, raw partisanship, and wrong judgments. What we have is an investigation out of control and without credibility, voting for immunity today, without adopting any changes in the rules on how this committee operates, which has worsened the problem.

KWAME HOLMAN: Waxman urged Republicans to take back the broad decision-making powers given to Burton at the start of the investigation.

REP. JOHN MICA, (R) Florida: It's not his investigation. It's our investigation. Bring the power back to the committee members. And, secondly, another senior Republican member of this committee should be appointed to head this investigation.

KWAME HOLMAN: Waxman tried to get a vote on his proposals, but Chairman Burton wouldn't entertain the motion.

REP. DAN BURTON: The gentleman was recognized for an opening statement only, and the chair will not recognize the gentleman for the purpose of the amendment he proposes.

KWAME HOLMAN: It's very unlikely Waxman's proposals would have succeeded since member after member of the committee's Republican majority came to Burton's defense.

REP. JOHN MICA: Every member of Congress should be personally offended by the undeserved sliming of the chairman of this committee and other committee members. Fortunately, Mr. Chairman, history, facts, and our judicial system will prevail.

REP. MARK SOUDER, (R) Indiana: The fact is the Democrats lost the election. They don't get to pick the chairman of this committee, that it is a ruse to try to deflect the subject at hand away.

KWAME HOLMAN: Democrats argued only Burton's departure as chairman will allow the committee to regain credibility.

REP. PAUL KANJORSKI, (D) Pennsylvania: We have now embarrassed this committee. We have now embarrassed the House of Representatives. We are going on to embarrass the institutions of government we love and pledge to serve so well. Do you know what, Mr. Chairman, I was in my district this last weekend. We're starting to embarrass the American people.

SPOKESMAN: The clerk will call the roll.

KWAME HOLMAN: After nearly 90 minutes of such speech-making, the committee voted and again failed to reach the 2/3 needed to grant immunity to witness it. House Republican leaders now are considering moving the immunity issue to another committee, where Republicans hold the necessary majority. As for this committee, the future of its campaign finance investigation is uncertain.

REGIONS TOPICS RECENT PROGRAMS ABOUT US FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS / FEEDS:

Support the kind of journalism done by the NewsHour...Become a member of your local PBS station.
PBS Online Privacy Policy Copyright ©1996- MacNeil/Lehrer Productions. All Rights Reserved.