Polygamy hearings begin in Washington D.C.
 
Reported by: Chris Vanocur
ABC 4 News
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
 
Senate hearing

WASHINGTON, D.C. (ABC 4 News) - A cult, organized crime, Nazis; These were just some of the ways polygamists were described on Thursday before a Senate committee hearing in Washington, D.C.

The testimony came as the federal government threatened to crack down on the FLDS and others.

Before the Senate Judiciary Committee, the first federal hearing in fifty years was held on plural marriage.

In a way, this WAS your grandfather's senate hearing.

The 165-year-old polygamy issue was brought to Washington by Senator Harry Reid.

The Mormon from Searchlight, Nevada told the Judiciary Committee that polygamy was like organized crime, and he did so on Pioneer Day.

Sen. Harry Reid, (D) - Nevada said, "We do honor to our pioneer ancestors by condemning those who have wrongfully cloaked themselves in the trappings of religion to obscure their true criminal purposes."

Reid has introduced a bill calling for a federal task force on polygamy, a move which gives the U.S. Attorney from Utah some pause.

Brett Tolman, U.S. Attorney from Utah said, "A task force may be too blunt an instrument to accomplish an effective investigation and subtler, more covert methods may be profitably employed."

Listening closely was Utah Senator Orrin Hatch, a Mormon whose family has polygamist roots.

Repeatedly, Hatch reminded a nationwide audience that the FLDS should never be confused with LDS.

But the human face of polygamy - and the most emotion - came from two Utahns.

Once, they both lived the polygamous life, but now help others escape it and deal with it.

On this July 24th, they were the last witnesses to be paraded before the committee.

Carolyn Jessop told the committee, "I stand here today to ask the United States government, my government, to show up for FLDS children."

And also attending this hearing were several polygamists.

But they were not invited to speak or appear before the committee.
 
ABC4.com
Originally broadcast July 24, 2008
 
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