Congress May Not Hold Elian Hearings

A key Senate Republican acknowledged that Congress may never hold hearings on whether the government used excessive force to seize Elian Gonzalez and return him to his father. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) said he had postponed the hearings until he sees Justice Department documents about the operation to determine whether such proceedings are warranted. “Once we get those, I think we can make an intelligent appraisal as to whether hearings should be held or not,” Hatch said on NBC-TV’s “Meet the Press.” Asked if there’s a chance there won’t be any hearings, he replied: “If they’re not justified, I guess there won’t be.”