EMERSON TELLS OF 6 CHECKS; TOTAL OF $26,345 IN BAD CHECKS WRITTEN

U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson has acknowledged that he wrote six bad checks totalling $26,345 at the House Bank between Jan. 31, 1989 and Sept. 30, 1991.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the Cape Girardeau Republican said that he was informed by the House Ethics Committee that the six checks were held by the House sergeant at arms, who was in charge of the Capitol Hill bank.

Emerson said he had earlier received a letter from the Sergeant at Arms indicating he had no infractions for the period in question.

The House voted Friday to release the names of all 296 current and 59 former members who wrote bad checks on their accounts at the bank, which was closed in January as a result of the scandal.

In his statement, Emerson said he was shocked to learn he had written the bad checks.

"In no instance do my personal records indicate that my account lacked sufficient funds to cover all drafts on my account, nor was I or my office contacted by the sergeant at arms to notify me of insufficient funds," he said.

But Emerson said that last week he asked the Ethics Committee to provide him with all records pertaining to his account.

"Only today have I been verbally advised that, much to my shock and amazement, in six instances over the 39-month period in question, checks were held by the sergeant at arms."

Emerson explained that five of the six checks were made out to his wife for monthly mortgage payments and "household expenses." He said that apparently his wife, Jo Ann, deposited the checks into her account within two days of Emerson depositing his paycheck to cover the expenses.

"Obviously, my wife should have waited the extra day or two in each of the five instances to deposit the checks into her account," he said.

The other check was written while Emerson was in Sudan surveying famine conditions of 1989, when he "forgot to record a check."

Despite the disclosure that he also wrote bad checks, Emerson indicated the overdrafts were "clerical errors" as distinguished from "flagrant abuse" of the House Bank.

"I have contended from the outset that the public, given full information, can distinguish between innocent mistakes on one hand and flagrant abuse on the other," he said. "I am one who today must admit, much to my surprise, that indeed I am one of those who evidently made clerical mistakes."

Emerson said that without adequate accounting practices at the House Bank, it was impossible to know of the occasional bad check.

"There was no possible way for me to discern from any type of records which were sent to me each month that in any instance was there ever any problem with my account," he said.

"I can assure you that if in any instance anything had been brought to my attention, I would have taken immediate steps to correct any errors on my part, or the part of my family."

Emerson said voters are "justifiably outraged" over the scandal and that steps already have been taken to "correct the wrongs." The House Bank has been closed, the sergeant at arms was forced to resign, and the House voted to disclose the names of all member who ever had a check held for any reason.

"This is the first step toward restoring the confidence of the American people," Emerson said.

On Tuesday, the scandal spread to President Bush's cabinet with admissions by Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, Labor Secretary Lynn Martin and Agriculture Secretary Edward Madigan that they wrote bad checks while members of Congress.