Time: Fri Jul 11 12:43:02 1997 by primenet.com (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id MAA07743; Fri, 11 Jul 1997 12:31:46 -0700 (MST) by usr07.primenet.com (8.8.5/8.8.5) with SMTP id MAA17429; Fri, 11 Jul 1997 12:31:25 -0700 (MST) Date: Fri, 11 Jul 1997 12:31:06 -0700 To: (Recipient list suppressed) From: Paul Andrew Mitchell [address in tool bar] Subject: SLS: Proof of Red Chinese wire transfer to Democrats (fwd) Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit <snip> > >GOP Questions Source of $325,000 > > DNC Ex-Official Testifies > for 2nd Day at Senate > Fund-Raising Probe > > By Edward Walsh > Washington Post Staff Writer > Friday, July 11, 1997; Page A04 > The Washington Post > > —Former Democratic National > Committee finance director > Richard Sullivan withstood a > second day of questioning by the > Senate Governmental Affairs > Committee yesterday at a hearing > in which Republicans disclosed > the apparent source of two of the > more mysterious contributions to > President Clinton's reelection > effort last year. > > Yogesh K. Gandhi, the head of a > California foundation who claims > to be the great-grandnephew of > the late Indian leader Mohandas > Gandhi, contributed $325,000. > But according to Sen. Susan > Collins (R-Maine) and > documents released by GOP staff > aides, a few days after Gandhi > made the contribution, he > received a total of $500,000 in > two wire transfers from an > account in a Japanese branch of a > U.S. bank that was held by > Yoshio Tanaka, a Japanese > business associate of Gandhi. > > Republican committee aides said > the two wire transfers of > $250,000 each were clearly the > source of the Gandhi contribution > and that they did not know what > happened to the remaining > $175,000 that was not > contributed. But Democratic > aides countered with copies of > Gandhi's bank records that they > said showed his account regularly > received large deposits by wire > transfer. > > Gandhi, who made the > contribution after attending a > Democratic fund-raising event > that was attended by Clinton, has > been a largely peripheral figure in > the morass of questionable > campaign fund-raising practices > that led to the investigation by > two congressional committees > and a Justice Department task > force. Sullivan, who reiterated > that he had no knowledge of > illegal contributions from foreign > sources, was not even questioned > about the Gandhi contribution. > > The second contribution, of > $50,000, was made by > Democratic fund-raiser Johnny > Chung, who was allowed to take > five Chinese businessmen to the > White House to watch Clinton > make one of his regular Saturday > morning radio broadcasts. Sen. > Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) disclosed > that three days before Chung > made the contribution, $150,000 > was transferred into his bank > account from the Bank of China, > but Specter provided no other > details. > > Amid these disclosures, > yesterday's hearing went over > familiar ground, with > Republicans questioning Sullivan > on the circumstances surrounding > the hiring of former Commerce > Department official John Huang > as a DNC fund-raiser, whether > White House coffees for > contributors with Clinton were > illegal fund-raising events in a > government facility and whether > Vice President Gore knew that an > event he attended at a Buddhist > temple in California was a > fund-raiser. > > Throughout the day, the > soft-spoken Sullivan did not > budge from his previous > assertions on these issues. Near > the end of the day, Sen. Robert > G. Torricelli (D-N.J.) said his > two days of testimony had > produced no evidence to support > the opening charge of committee > Chairman Fred D. Thompson > (R-Tenn.) that there is an > ongoing plan by the Chinese > government to undermine the > U.S. political system, in part > through the use of illegal > campaign contributions. > > Huang is a central figure in the > web of questionable fund-raising > practices leading up to the 1996 > election. Under questioning by > Thompson, who was more > aggressive than he had been on > Wednesday, Sullivan said that his > acknowledged concern about how > Huang would conduct himself at > the DNC was because of Huang's > lack of experience and not > because he thought Huang would > seek contributions from foreign > sources, which are banned by > U.S. election laws. > > "If I had any inclination that John > Huang would raise foreign > money, I would have personally > walked him to the elevator and > walked him out of the building," > he said. > > Sullivan also said Huang was not > removed from responsibility for > coordinating fund-raising events > that Clinton attended because of > concern about foreign money. > Rather, he said, DNC officials > were dissatisfied with the amount > Huang was raising in small > individual contributions, which > are matched by the federal > government, and worried about > an "appearance" problem because > Huang often had foreign nationals > at fund-raising events, even > though they could not legally > contribute to the party. > > Sen. Robert F. Bennett (R-Utah) > raised the name of Roger > Tamraz, an Egyptian-born U.S. > citizen and Democratic > contributor who has been charged > with embezzlement from a > Lebanese bank. Bennett > produced a memo written by > Gore's staff that described > Tamraz as an "American citizen > with a shady and untrustworthy > reputation" who should not be > allowed to meet with senior > administration officials > > Bennett asked Sullivan why, > despite this warning, Tamraz was > later invited to the White House > four times. Sullivan said he > relayed the memo's warning to > the "appropriate people" at the > DNC and "obviously he was > invited" anyway. > > "At the very least, all the > safeguards broke down regularly > and seriously at the DNC," > Bennett said. > > At the hearings, which are to > resume Tuesday, it was also > disclosed yesterday that an > associate of Huang's who also > raised substantial sums of money > for the DNC, Charles Yah Lin > Trie, received a wire transfer of > $149,985 from a Bank of China > account in Hong Kong around the > time he made large contributions > to the DNC last year. Sullivan > said he did not know the source > of the Trie donations. > >˙-˙-˙-˙-˙-˙-˙-˙-˙-˙-˙-˙-˙-˙-˙-˙ >Unsub info - send e-mail to majordomo@majordomo.pobox.com, with >"unsubscribe liberty-and-justice" in the body (not the subject) >Liberty-and-Justice list-owner is Mike Goldman <whig@pobox.com> > > ======================================================================== Paul Andrew Mitchell : Counselor at Law, federal witness B.A., Political Science, UCLA; M.S., Public Administration, U.C. Irvine tel: (520) 320-1514: machine; fax: (520) 320-1256: 24-hour/day-night email: [address in tool bar] : using Eudora Pro 3.0.3 on 586 CPU website: http://www.supremelaw.com : visit the Supreme Law Library now ship to: c/o 2509 N. Campbell, #1776 : this is free speech, at its best Tucson, Arizona state : state zone, not the federal zone Postal Zone 85719/tdc : USPS delays first class w/o this As agents of the Most High, we came here to establish justice. We shall not leave, until our mission is accomplished and justice reigns eternal. ======================================================================== [This text formatted on-screen in Courier 11, non-proportional spacing.]
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