Campaign Hearings

Re “Reno Roast Embarrasses Nobody but Congress,” editorial, Dec. 10:

The most embarrassing performance at the Dec. 9 hearing was that of the House Reform and Oversight Committee chairman, Dan Burton (R-Ind.). The man embodies sleazy politics.

His chief counsel resigned at the outset of the hearings rather than be a party to hearings that were egregious, self-serving politics.

Burton’s own fund-raising practices are so rank that a federal grand jury is investigating him on accusations of shaking down a lobbyist for a foreign country. In the 1996 election, Burton listed 413 contributions from individuals; only 71 were from Indiana. By contrast, more than 100 donations came from Sikh and Kashmiri communities in the United States. Burton raised more money from the Cuban community in Florida than he did in Indiana.

Burton took contributions from a lobbyist for the former dictator of Zaire and world-class thief, Mobutu Sese Seko, from 1989 to 1994, and he was entertained in the dictator’s palace in return. Burton advocated pro-Mobutu policies on the House floor and tried to secure a U.S. entry visa for Mobutu.

Oversight and reform. Sure.

JOHN M. FRETER

Yucca Valley

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In fact the partisan sideshow resides in The Times’ editorial pages. Clearly, your editorial writer lacks credibility.

MORRIS ROBERTS

Los Angeles

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I agree completely with your editorial. I am a lifelong Republican, but I am very unhappy with these transparently partisan hearings. The Republican National Committee should be paying for these hearings, and they are not even accomplishing a partisan purpose. The Republicans running them look foolish, and make the whole party look foolish.

Trying to “grill” Atty. Gen. Janet Reno is particularly dumb. She has left her footprints on Republican committee members’ backsides before, and they should have known the same would happen again.

To the Republican leadership: Please stop this nonsense before you raise the Democrats’ approval ratings so much that you lose the Congress in ’98. People want to vote for a responsible party that cares about the taxpayers’ money and tends to real business. Please start meeting those qualifications.

SUSAN E. AMERSON

Los Angeles

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Had Rep. Burton used the exact “Nazi analogy” toward an administration official that the Rep. Tom Lantos, ranking minority member, directed at independent counsel Donald Smaltz, would The Times have chosen the 13th paragraph in an article on Page A25 to inform readers (Dec. 11)?

LEE FERRY

Newport Beach

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Why do those investigating campaign finances not address the issue that is central to the public’s understanding of the situation?

Does contributed money (whether hard, soft, direct, indirect, domestic, foreign or whatnot) influence governmental decisions?

If not, what difference does the source or amount of money make? If so, why is any donation allowed?

DARRELL D. FANESTIL

La Jolla