THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 8, 1997 TAG: 9701080627
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: 129 lines
Newt Gingrich narrowly won re-election as speaker of the House on Tuesday, despite defections by nine Republicans troubled by his admission of ethics violations.
The speaker then told the House that he hoped to work not only with his supporters, but also with those who opposed him, on a range of subjects, from jobs to taxes to race relations to crime. He apologized for embarrassing the House.
``Let me say to the entire House that two years ago, when I became the first Republican speaker in 40 years, to the degree I was too brash, too self-confident or too pushy, I apologize.
``To whatever degree, in any way that I brought controversy or inappropriate attention to the House, I apologize. It is my intention to do everything I can to work with every member of this Congress.''
But the moment of good feeling passed quickly. Twenty-one minutes later, the Democratic whip, Rep. David Bonior of Michigan, accused the Republicans of rushing ahead despite unfinished ethics proceedings, saying, ``We need to have a Congress that rewards virtue and punishes wrongdoing.'' He said, ``We've taken a tremendous step backwards here today. There's an ethical cloud hanging over the House that will only get darker in the days to come.''
Then House Republicans rejected a request by the ethics committee's special counsel, James Cole, for a few more days past Jan. 21 for final House action on penalties for Gingrich, and insisted that the House act no later than Jan. 21.
Gingrich has admitted giving the House untrue information about a televised college course he taught and failing to seek adequate advice about the legality of the course's financing.
Gingrich's re-election, which made him the first Republican to achieve two consecutive terms as speaker since Nicholas Longworth in 1929, was closer than expected. Even as the hourlong roll-call proceeded, he and other senior party leaders were buttonholing wavering members, urging them to vote for him, or at least to abstain by voting ``present.''
In the end, he got 216 votes, all from Republicans. Rep. RichardGephardt of Missouri, the Democratic leader, got 205 - including 204 from Democrats and one from the House's lone independent, Rep. Bernard Sanders of Vermont. Four Republicans voted for others, two for Rep. James Leach of Iowa, one for former Republican leader Bob Michel of Illinois, and one for former Rep. Bob Walker of Pennsylvania, a long-time Gingrich ally.
Five other Republicans abstained, as did Gephardt. Because it takes a majority of those voting for a candidate to elect a speaker, even if the five abstainers had voted for someone, Gingrich would have squeaked through.
Four members did not vote, including Gingrich, two Democrats who are hospitalized, and Sam Johnson of Texas, a Republican whose plane to Washington was late.
The vote ended two weeks of uncertainty over Gingrich's re-election that arose when some House Republicans questioned the political wisdom of backing him after he ended two years of steadfast denials of wrongdoing with a brief acknowledgment Dec. 21 that he broke House rules. Their nervousness is heightened by the fact that the full details of the House ethics committee's investigation of Gingrich and the panel's recommended sanction for him will not be known until next week.
The ethics committee is to meet today to begin the process of recommending a punishment. In addition, the Internal Revenue Service is also looking into the financing of the college course, and the ethics committee has not resolved complaints that Gingrich received improper gifts, support and contributions from GOPAC, a political action committee he once headed.
The ethics matter resulted in bitterly partisan rancor on the House floor last year, as Democrats sought to tarnish the speaker as part of their bid to retake the House. In a closed-door session with House Republicans Monday night to rally support, Gingrich blamed Democrats for his ethics problems.
While the Gingrich vote was high drama in the House, representatives from Hampton Roads acknowledged that there's little evidence that the speaker's troubles captured the attention of folks back home.
Among the area's four congressmen, only Republican Rep. Herbert H. Bateman reported receiving anything approaching significant public comment on Gingrich. Bateman said he got 65 phone calls or letters on the issue before Tuesday's vote. The tally was almost 2-to-1 against Gingrich.
Bateman, of Newport News, is the region's only Republican representative and the only member of the local delegation to support Gingrich on Tuesday. He said he was never tempted to jump ship, complaining that the speaker has been excoriated for offenses that involve ``no questions of moral turpitude, no wrongdoing.''
And ``what has evolved here'' in the investigation of Gingrich by the House Ethics Committee ``has been almost grotesquely misreported'' in the news media, Bateman added.
Rep. Owen B. Pickett, a Virginia Beach Democrat, said his office received no more than 50 calls, letters and e-mail messages about Gingrich. Aides to Reps. Robert C. Scott and Norman Sisisky, whose districts include portions of Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake and western Tidewater, said they'd gotten only a handful of calls and letters on the controversy.
``The ethics issue should have been resolved before today,'' Pickett said. ``Nothing has been learned in the last 30 days that wasn't known six months ago.''
But Sisisky complained about the Republicans' decision to force a vote on Gingrich on Tuesday, rather than wait until the ethics committee completes its inquiry into his conduct. He'd have been willing to support another Republican as interim speaker - ``they won the election fair and square,'' Sisisky said - but thought Gingrich shouldn't get a new term as speaker while the committee's findings are still pending.
Virginia's other seven congressmen also divided along partisan lines over Gingrich, with one exception. Rep. Frank Wolf, a Republican who represents part of Northern Virginia, was among five Republicans who voted ``present,'' refusing to support Gingrich but not opposing him either. MEMO: This story was compiled from reports by The New York Times, The
Washington Post, The Associated Press and staff writer Dale Eisman. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Rep. Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., is sworn in Tuesday as speaker in the
House chamber.
Graphic
THE VOTE
Newt Gingrich 216
Richard Gephardt, D-Mo. 205
Jim Leach, R-Iowa 2
Bob Michel, R-Ill 1
Ex-Rep. Bob Walker, R-Pa. 1
WHAT IT MEANS
Tuesday's vote will have no effect on the case against Gingrich.
Today, a House ethics committee will deliberate Gingrich's
punishment for admitted rules violations. That session will be
private, but it will be followed by a public session. Details, A4
KEYWORDS: U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES