Leading Democrat questions future of House probe of pardons

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A senior House Democrat has publicly questioned when a Republican-led probe of President Clinton's controversial pardons will end.

IN-DEPTH The presidential pardons controversy   • List of pardons   • Pardon documents   • The Clinton Years

Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., senior Democrat on the House Government Reform Committee, noted that House and Senate leaders have said they think the probe should be ending, and in a letter to Reform Committee Chairman Dan Burton, R-Ind., asked whether Republicans plan "to devote significant additional resources to investigating pardons and other clemency decisions."

Waxman noted the committee began by looking into the Jan. 20 pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich, but has expanded its probe to look at the pardons of others, including Carlos Vignali, a convicted drug dealer. Waxman said Committee Burton had issued 56 letters requesting information regarding 229 people connected to pardons.

The House committee has held two public hearings on the pardons. Waxman wants the Congressional probes to cease, noting the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York was given Justice Department authority to investigate all of Clinton's 177 last-minute pardons.

"It would be unnecessary and a waste of taxpayer dollars for our committee to duplicate its work," Waxman said

A call to Burton's office was not immediately returned.

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