Online NewsHour: Campaigns Under Scrutiny: A Closer Look at the Issues Behind the Investigation

The Issues: *A Closer Look at the Issues Behind the Investigation*

As the hearings and investigations unfold, look here for in-depth discussions on the issues and topics that underlie the investigation. To begin, we have gathered the archives of the NewsHour to give you the story thus far.

The Online Explainers take your question on the investigation.

The NewsHour's coverage of the Congressional Investigation.

The inside stories on the political fight behind the public investigation.

The investigation is big news in Washington, but how's it playing around the country.

THE LOOPHOLE
During the 1996 election cycle, the two main political parties raised and spent over a quarter of a billion dollars in unregulated "soft money." The NewsHour has been looking at the issues surrounding the use and proliferation of the soft money phenomena.

THE SOLUTIONS
The Senate and House investigations will focus on the problems facing the campaign system in the United States. But what is the next step? Several Members of Congress and think tanks are working to change the way we elect our representatives.

THE WHITE HOUSE PROBLEMS
The epicenter of the growing campaign finance scandal has been located at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. From possible Chinese influence of U.S. foreign policy to questions surrounding the actions of Vie President Gore to the "selling" of the Lincoln Bedroom, the White House has been battered by the revelations.

THE INVESTIGATION
The Senate investigation headed by Fred Thompson (R-TN) and its House counterpart, headed by Dan Burton (R-IN), has been the backdrop for several heated political debates. Here is a look at the debate that the scandal has created thus far.

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