Press Release of Rep. J.C. Watts (R-OK), Chairman of the House Republican Conference. Re: DOJ v. Microsoft. Date: April 5, 2000. Source: House Republican Conference.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Ron Bonjean / Kenneth J. Wolfe
202-225-5107
Wednesday, April 05, 2000

Justice Department Using Old Tactics in New Economy

WASHINGTON – House Republican Conference Chairman J.C. Watts, Jr. (R-OK) today said that the Clinton-Gore Administration’s Department of Justice is “using tired, old tactics instead of focusing on the emerging field of technology in the new economy.”

“The Justice Department has demonstrated that, with one major decision, they can send the entire world’s economy into total disarray.  The dive in the Nasdaq market is a direct result of the Clinton-Gore Administration meddling with the private sector,” Watts said.

“If the United States is to be a player in the high-tech world, the federal government is going to have to step aside.  Let the Justice Department fight crime.  Let the market remain free,” Watts said.

“The political hands of the Justice Department should not be affecting the economy.  What has happened to our free markets when traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange have to worry about what Janet Reno and the Clinton-Gore Administration are doing in Washington, D.C.?  The federal government has overreached on this one,” Watts said.

“What about the millions of Americans who have pensions and investments in the stock market?  The Justice Department is creating market volatility.  That is not good for working Americans.  The federal government should not be jeopardizing their retirement security,” Watts said.