ACCESSION NUMBER:00000
FILE ID:97042902.txt
DATE:04/29/97
TITLE:29-04-97  CONGRESSIONAL REPORT, TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 1997

TEXT:
(Senate Intelligence, Democratic strategy) (480)

SENATE INTELLIGENCE PANEL RULES ON FBI FILES FOR NOMINEES

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence last week adopted a rule
to allow its committee members to have access to a nominee's full FBI
background investigation report, including material normally available
only to committee chairmen and ranking minority members.

Committee Chair Senator Richard Shelby (Republican-Alabama) who
proposed the rule, said it followed the Senate Judiciary Committee
practice for all nominees to be Federal judges. Unlike the Judiciary
Committee, however, the Intelligence Committee will permit members
only, and not designated cleared staff aides, to see the FBI files.
"The committee takes this responsibility very seriously, and this
clarification reinforces the high standard that must be present for
anyone nominated" to be Director of Central Intelligence, Shelby said.

Ranking minority member and vice-chair of committee Senator Bob Kerrey
(Democrat-Nebraska) said the new rule will lengthen the time the FBI
investigates nominees to be DCI and "could radically change the nature
of (that person's) confirmation hearings."

Kerrey said that "we have gone from having the FBI investigate
questions that Senators may have about the nominee to having the FBI
tell us everything about the person from birth."

Acting CIA Director George Tenet will be the first prospective CIA
Director whose full FBI files will be available to all members of the
Senate Intelligence Committee. Tenet, a former chief of staff for that
committee, will appear before the panel for his confirmation hearing
on May 6 and a closed session will follow on May 7. Kerrey said he
expects Tenet to be approved.

DEMOCRATS OUTLINE STRATEGY TO RE-TAKE MAJORITY IN CONGRESS

The key to re-taking the majority in Congress is early organization,
Democratic Party leaders told top donors at a retreat in Miami over
the weekend.

Rep. Martin Frost (Democrat-Texas), chair of the Democratic
Congressional Campaign Committee, urged members of the Democratic
Business Council to heed the experiences of last fall's elections.
"The ones who organized, made the decision early, committed early and
raised the money are the ones who won the close races," he said.

Frost said candidates are already being recruited for the 1998
mid-term elections, while incumbents are being encouraged to decide
early whether they will seek another term.

The House of Representatives now has 227 Republicans, 206 Democrats,
one Independent, and one vacancy. Republicans have a similar majority
in the Senate, holding 55 seats to the Democrats' 45 seats.

Observers on Capitol Hill say, however, that starting early for the
1998 elections may be tough going for the Democrats because they are
still being buffeted by the winds of controversy surrounding
fund-raising allegations in the 1996 elections. A related hindrance
for them is the party's $12 million debt, and a pledge to return some
$3 million in questionable contributions.
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