May 12, 1999
Web posted at: 5:54 p.m. EDT (2154 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, May 12) -- Now that Rep. Dan Burton has heard the testimony of Democratic fund-raiser Johnny Chung, the chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, according to congressional staffers, only has 120 more witnesses to call in his nearly two-year-old investigation of the 1996 Clinton-Gore re-election campaign.

The Indiana Republican has been frustrated in his campaign finance probe by uncooperative witnesses, commenting Tuesday "eighty people have taken the Fifth (Amendment); a lot of people have left the country or stayed overseas."

Along with Chung, Burton has been eager to question another Democratic fund-raiser, Charlie Trie. Trie goes on trial in Arkansas Monday for obstructing a Senate probe into fund-raising abuses by allegedly ordering the destruction of subpoenaed documents.

Trie owned a restaurant near the state capitol in Little Rock that Clinton often went to when he was Arkansas governor. In 1996, Trie tried to give $600,000 from questionable sources to Clinton's legal defense fund, which rejected the donations.

On Wednesday, Chung publicly detailed his involvement in the campaign fund-raising scandal surrounding the 1996 election, including the allegation that the head of the Chinese military intelligence gave him $300,000 intended to help re-elect President Bill Clinton.

For Burton and other Republicans, Chung is the main example of what they contend was a Chinese effort to influence the 1996 presidential elections, including a donation of $300,000 by General Ji Shengde, the head of the Chinese military intelligence.

In his statement, Chung gave a detailed recounting of his meeting with Ji and his activity surrounding the donation. He said that acting under advice of the woman who arranged the payment from the general, he kept the money for other purposes, including to help take care of the general's son, Alex, who was attending college in Los Angeles.

Chung said none of the $300,000 that he said Li gave him was used as political donations.

A recently prepared bipartisan report of the Senate Intelligence Committee said "most of the remaining funds went for his personal use, including mortgage payments." The report also said that Chung's allegation that he'd been given the money to assist in the election of Clinton "is contrary to his previous statements."

The White House had no public reaction to Chung's testimony. White House officials tell CNN privately that the less said about Chung's testimony the better and that there is no proof anyone at the White House knew of the Chinese connections to the funds.

Last year, he pleaded guilty to election law violations and began cooperating with the Justice Department's investigation into alleged 1996 fund-raising irregularities. Chung could have been imprisoned for 37 years and fined $1.45 million. He was sentenced to five years probation and 3,000 hours of community service, which was noted during the hearing as a sentence the government asks for witnesses who have been cooperative.

Several congressional and Justice Department probes have yet to produce any formal charges that either Clinton, Vice President Al Gore or any of their top aides violated campaign finance law.

CNN's John King and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Wednesday, May 12, 1999

• Treasury Secretary Rubin resigns
• Larry Summers 'prepared' to step into Rubin's shoes
• A glimpse of Rubin in the White House
• Transcript: Clinton announces Rubin resignation; Summers, Eizenstat nominations
• Transcript: Rubin announces resignation
• Transcript: Summers accepts Treasury secretary nomination
• Transcript: Eizenstat accepts deputy Treasury secretary nomination
• Senate refuses to close 'gun-show loophole'
• McCain on the march
• Burton continues to probe Clinton-Gore campaign finances
• Gingrich blasts administration, media and hollywood on Kosovo and Littleton
• Administration funds 100,000th cop
• Elizabeth Dole opposes concealed weapons law, backs mandatory safety locks
• Senate spotlights nuclear security lapses
• White House Web site back online
• FCC: Make sure emergency cell phone calls go through
• Congressional bargainers approve $11.6 billion for Kosovo, defense
• House GOP sets Social Security vote
• Democrats: Bush too busy for Texas
• Bill ending Internet gambling clears Senate subcommittee
• Bill Bradley says hard work pays off
• Constitutional amendment turns from possible victory to likely defeat
• Welfare to what? States track down those gone from the rolls
• State studies find varying work rates
• Former first lady calls for more Republican women leaders
• Willey says she knows who made alleged threats
• Mrs. Clinton to travel to Macedonia
• Former Florida House speaker, wife, guilty of tax evasion

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