WASHINGTON -- As Democrats accused Republicans of expanding a "political witch hunt," Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, rammed through his Judiciary Committee permission Wednesday to issue subpoenas in a wide-ranging probe of the Justice Department.
It voted along straight party lines to allow a subcommittee chaired by Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., to issue subpoenas if needed to the Justice Department and Clinton administration officials while Congress is in recess in coming months.Specter is heading a probe into whether the Justice Department and Attorney General Janet Reno mishandled cases about Chinese spying at nuclear labs, campaign finance violations by Democrats, the Branch Davidian siege in Waco, Texas, and other incidents.
The resolution passed allows Specter to issue the subpoenas without a full committee vote -- but only if the ranking Democrat on his subcommittee, Sen. Robert Torricelli, D-N.J., concurs.
Hatch said that should give Democrats sufficient safeguards to ensure fairness. And Hatch said the Clinton administration has shown it will stonewall and not produce information unless the threat of obtaining by subpoena exists.
"This is good politics but bad precedent," complained Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del.
He contended -- but Hatch disagreed -- that the full committee has always had to vote on issuing subpoenas and has not left it up to one member.
Democrats on the committee also gave Hatch a long letter saying the Specter's new probe looks at issues that have already been investigated at length by Congress or that are the subject of an independent counsel probe being headed by former Sen. John Danforth.
Biden complained it is "just a political rehash of all those things," and said it is being pursued not because of any evidence except for Republicans saying "that it doesn't pass the smell test. . . . Come on, this is a bad, bad idea."
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said, "This is going to leave very bad blood."
Hatch, however, said, "We are not playing politics," but the committee should delve further into apparent problems ranging from light-penalty deals the Justice Department reached with campaign violators, to evidence showing Justice officials had lied about using incendiary devices at Waco.
Specter also bristled at Democrats' complaints. "This is not a fishing expedition. . . . I do know what hard evidence is," he said. "Let's find out what the facts are."