"When Sen. Howard M. Metzenbaum, an Ohio Democrat and member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, learned about the language buried in an appropriations bill, he cried foul.
On the floor of the Senate, he railed against the legislative fix, detailing the history of the Blue Sky deal all the way back to the Dole amendment.
“This is a provision designed to help one group of people make millions of dollars . . . when conduct by persons associated with this group is the subject of a criminal investigation,” Metzenbaum said.
Despite his objections, the appropriations bill with the gun amendment was approved by Congress and signed in to law by President Ronald Reagan.
The legislation included language granting federal agencies the power to object if the measure interfered with any ongoing criminal investigation. After a review of the Korea deal by
John Bolton, an assistant attorney general in the Reagan administration, and no objections from the State and Defense departments, Treasury officials signed off on the imports.
Blue Sky had the green light to bring 200,000 M-1 military rifles into the U.S. market." WaPo
Now, where have I heard that name before?
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