#3748: Re: Benjamin Gilman (R-NY) (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: kevin pina <cariborganics@hotmail.com>


Benjamin Gilman (R-NY) recently wrote to Aristide, joining NCHR and Amnesty 
International, in calling on the former president to address his followers 
to "renounce violence."   A little background is in order so that we might 
understand the context of any statements he makes regarding the outcome of 
Haiti's elections.  From this backgrounder, courtesy of the Heritage 
Foundation, we can see that Gilman has served as a Republican point man in 
Congress for the attempt to link Aristide, Preval, and Lavalas with 
political assassinations in Haiti.

I am looking for full transcripts.

kp


Clinton: Unable to Stop the Killing.

On September 24, 1996, White House counsel Jack Quinn notified 
Representative Benjamin Gilman (R-NY), Chairman of the House Committee on 
International Relations, that President Clinton had invoked executive 
privilege to deny a request for key documents that might shed some light on 
whether the Administration has tried to conceal the fact that U.S. officials 
have known since early 1995 that ''death squads'' loyal to Aristide are 
operating out of the presidential palace. Representative Gilman says that 
the Clinton Administration ''has been aware since early 1995 that 
death-squads were operating under the direction of top security aides to 
President Aristide.''


2 News release, "Statement of Chairman Benjamin A. Gilman, Full Committee 
Hearing on Administration Action and Political Murders in Haiti: Part II," 
Committee on International Relations, U.S. House of Representatives, 
September 27, 1996.


Stuck in Haiti.

Prominent Members of Congress suspect that the Clinton Administration is 
misleading both Congress and the American people about Haiti. Congressional 
efforts to overcome the Administration's stonewalling on Haiti should be 
intensified. In an October 22, 1996, press release issued by the House 
International Relations Committee, Representative Gilman said that ''Enough 
evidence exists to justify a further inquiry into the possible existence of 
a conspiracy to withhold this information from Congress.'' 3

3 News release, "Gilman Releases Staff Report on Political Killings in 
Haiti," Committee on International Relations, U.S. House of Representatives, 
October 22, 1996.





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