Get Back to Work
Fifteen years ago, I arrived in Washington as a freshman congressman. It was 1993, and after 12 years of Republican control of the Executive Branch, a new Democratic president had just moved into the White House. His aggressive agenda had won him strong bipartisan support and a wide margin of victory — not unlike when Eliot Spitzer swept to power six months ago.
That same year, the press pounced on the famous Whitewater controversy. I watched, up close, as Washington became caught up in the scandal that provided ammunition to Congressional Republicans, who used it to bring the Capital to a standstill. While I had entered the House on a wave of thirst for change, the long, drawn-out Whitewater episode that preoccupied Washington soon capped the momentum for reform.
In the end, Whitewater dissolved into little more than a partisan witch hunt. Charges relating to Whitewater were never brought against the president, and by the end of the investigation, Americans were frustrated with the Republicans for wasting their time. As a lawmaker who went to Washington to make a difference, I was thrilled when Congress finally closed the books on the Whitewater debacle so that we could get back to work, which is why it concerns me now to see Albany repeating history.
There are several key differences between Whitewater and the controversy now surrounding top aides to Governor Spitzer. For one thing, the attorney general already has specifically cleared the governor's top aides of anything unlawful. Nevertheless, in recent days, Albany Republicans have signaled their intent to drag Mr. Spitzer through an extended partisan mud bath.
Despite the fact that the State Ethics Commission and the district attorney of Albany have already begun investigations, State Majority Leader Joe Bruno has now launched a redundant State Senate investigation. The Ethics commission has agreed to take up the task precisely to avoid a paralyzed Legislature, but Mr. Bruno and State Republicans appear distinctly more interested in politics. In an attempt to justify their actions, they have impugned the integrity of John Feerick, the chair of the Ethics Commission.
The former Dean of Fordham Law School, Mr. Feerick, is universally respected as one of the most reputable men in New York. The New York Times recognized this last week when it wrote that Mr. Feerick "has the kind of sterling reputation that should lead the public — and even the Republicans — to trust his commission's conclusions." Questioning his independence is absurd, and a superfluous, partisan Senate investigation can only be an enormous distraction from the possibility of continuing the progress that has so far defined this legislative session.
The fact is, since Eliot Spitzer took office, Albany has notched a slate of highly unusual legislative achievements. In six months, education funding has been increased by almost $2 billion, every child in New York will soon have health insurance, the deadlock in reforming the Workers Compensation system has been broken, saving New York employers over $1 billion a year while increasing benefits to workers, and $1.3 billion in property tax relief — the biggest cut in New York state history — has been enacted. Today, that progress is in jeopardy thanks to Mr. Bruno and a redundant inquisition that threatens to mire the state capital in a partisan swamp.
Mr. Bruno's charade is a transparent one, clearly recognizable as the partisan witch hunt that it is. There is little doubt that if the Republicans continue down this path, they will be revealed as the most overly politicized force in this state. Rather than promoting a long partisan slugfest, the State would be much better off if we put down the Whitewater revival, let the Albany DA and the Ethics Commission get on with their jobs, and let the governor and the legislature concentrate on dealing with the many problems that face New York.
Mr. Nadler, NY-08, is the chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
