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 Sen. Thompson Says He Thinks Some Witnesses Lied (10-31-97)
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Gavel To Gavel: Fund-Raising Hearings
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Thompson's Panel Produces Dueling Draft ReportsRepublicans, Democrats offer different versions of what last year's inquiry learned
WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, Feb. 10) -- The Senate campaign finance investigation is finishing as it began: in partisan disagreement. Republicans and Democrats have drafted separate reports, and CNN has obtained portions of both. The Republican draft accuses President Bill Clinton of "knowing subversion of federal election law" to get around spending limits in his 1996 re-election campaign. It calls the Democratic National Committee "worse than negligent" in failing to keep out illegal donations, and adds: "The DNC (Democratic National Committee), run by the White House, consciously disregarded the prospect of illegal contributions." Concerning an event at a Buddhist temple in Southern California where illegal donations were raised, the report says "it is clear that Vice President (Al) Gore understood the Temple event to be a fund-raiser," contradicting Gore's claims. 
The GOP draft also says the vice president had "a long-standing relationship" with John Huang and Maria Hsia, who organized the event. A Gore spokesman disputed the findings. Gore spokesman Christopher Lehane told The Associated Press Tuesday, "There is nothing to support" the report's finding that Gore knew the temple event was a fund-raiser when he attended it. Lehane called the report "a $3.5 million, taxpayer-funded, Republican cut-and-paste job."Portions of the Democratic part of the report also have started to leak out, blasting former Republican Party Chairman Haley Barbour and his Hong Kong financial connection. At issue during the hearings was a $2.1 million bail-out to a GOP think tank from Hong Kong businessman Ambrous Tung Young. The Democratic report says Barbour's testimony before the committee "was not credible." It says Barbour was contradicted on key points by five other witnesses, including another former GOP chairman, Richard Richards. Barbour denied he knew in advance that the more than $2 million that benefitted the Republican National Committee in 1994 was coming from Hong Kong sources. But Senate Democrats say evidence shows Barbour actually knew the true source. 
The report has no legal weight and it won't be final for several days, maybe longer. In fact, Republicans are still haggling with the CIA and FBI over how much can be declassified for their most important chapter, the one concerning an alleged plot by the Chinese government to inject money into U.S. elections. The Washington Post reported Tuesday the Senate committee's draft report says that Mochtar Riady and his son James, both longtime supporters of Clinton, "have had a long-term relationship with a Chinese intelligence agency." The Post said the report contains few specifics, other than saying the Riadys' relationship appeared to be based on "business interests." The Democratic Party had to return about $3 million in 1996 campaign donations, most of it raised by Huang or indicted Democratic fund-raiser Charlie Trie, because of worries that the money came from overseas or unverifiable sources. While the Thompson committee has finished its work, a House probe, chaired by Rep. Dan Burton (D-Ind.), is still in progress. CNN's Brooks Jackson contributed to this report. |
| In Other News |
Tuesday February 10, 1998
• Lewinsky's Mother Appears Before Grand Jury |
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