Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, December 6, 1994 TAG: 9412060095
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From the Boston Globe and the Houston Chronicle
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta, meanwhile, attacked Gingrich as ``an out-of-control talk-show host'' for alleging Sunday that one-fourth of White House officials once took drugs. ``We cannot do business with the speaker of the House who is going to engage in these kind of unfounded allegations,'' Panetta said.
Monday, Gingrich said nothing public about his remarks, focusing instead on his packed agenda of reforms, tax cuts and spending reductions for the 104th Congress that begins next month. But his speech to the House Republican Conference alluded to the controversy and to his style, and asked for forbearance. ``For some reason, I will say or do something controversial that people will get all excited about.''
``No, no!'' the Republicans responded, as laughter filled the room. ``I know, I know it's hard to believe,'' a smiling Gingrich said.
After Gingrich's election, his ally, Rep. Dick Armey of Texas, was elected majority leader. But Gingrich's candidate for House whip, Rep. Robert Walker of Pennsylvania, was defeated by Rep. Thomas DeLay of Texas. That left Southerners in all three top House leadership positions.
Gingrich, in an hour-long speech often as professorial as it was political, handed out assignments to the new Republican majority - reading assignments, that is. The homework included the Declaration of Independence, Alexis de Tocqueville's classic volume ``Democracy in America,'' and a futuristic book about the ``Third Wave'' of information technology in American society.
Gingrich's interest in the documents wasn't just scholarly: He said they would underscore his theme that Congress is the leader in peacetime, not the president.
Gingrich said he hoped to pass all 10 items in his ``Contract with America'' in the first 100 days, and said he hoped that three of them would be signed by Clinton in January: the line-item veto, a ban on unfunded state mandates, and legislation requiring Congress to follow laws it passes for the public.
Gingrich touched off a firestorm of protest from administration officials with his unsubstantiated charges Sunday that up to one-fourth of the White House staff had used illegal drugs in recent years and had difficulty getting security clearances because of it.
Panetta said it was simply another ``outrageous'' effort by the new Republican leadership to cast aspersions on the Clinton presidency. He demanded that Gingrich either provide proof of the charges or keep his mouth shut.
``If Newt Gingrich has evidence to the contrary, he ought to tell me that, he ought to make it public, and I'll fire them,'' Panetta told reporters.
Gingrich has admitted smoking marijuana while in college.
Gingrich's defiant attitude also upset some Republicans, who warned that if the Georgian continues his street-fighter style of politics, it could end up damaging his reputation and the Republican cause as well.
``He's backed into something that maybe he shouldn't have,'' Republican consultant Maureen Reagan said on CNN, calling Gingrich's comments on drug use unnecessary.
by CNB