Time: Thu May 08 13:51:27 1997
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Date: Thu, 08 May 1997 13:40:12 -0700
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From: Paul Andrew Mitchell [address in tool bar]
Subject: L&J: SLS: China vs. U.S. (fwd)
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<snip>
>
>>By Bob Woodward 
>>Washington Post Staff Writer 
>>Friday, April 25, 1997; Page A25 
>>
>>The FBI has obtained substantial evidence that "top" Chinese
>>officials approved plans in 1995 to attempt to buy influence with
>>American politicians, and that the scheme continued through the
>>1996 elections and is ongoing, according to U.S. government
>>officials. 
>>
>>Secret communications between Beijing and the Chinese
>>Embassy in Washington establish that the influence-buying plan
>>was "government sanctioned," one official said. "There is today
>>ongoing pressure to keep going, despite the [campaign finance]
>>investigations and press attention," said another source familiar
>>with the FBI intelligence. 
>>
>>The officials declined to name the Chinese officials who
>>allegedly approved the plans. "It's a pretty small top," one
>>source said, noting that the number one official in China is
>>President Jiang Zemin and the number two is Premier Li Peng. 
>>
>>Until recently, investigators on a special FBI task force
>>examining the Beijing component of the campaign finance
>>controversy had not assembled all the pieces of intelligence that
>>would confirm direct approval by senior levels of the Chinese
>>government. Some senior White House officials initially
>>concluded that authorization for the Chinese effort might have
>>gone no higher than the embassy here. 
>>
>>While officials said the FBI now has what one described as
>>"amazing" detail showing the Chinese intent to buy influence,
>>and has tracked some China-U.S. money transfers they believe
>>may be connected, investigators have not yet conclusively tied
>>that information to any payment to an individual or organization. 
>>
>>On Wednesday, FBI Director Louis J. Freeh and Attorney
>>General Janet Reno briefed senior members of the Senate
>>Select Committee on Intelligence about the establishment of a
>>connection between the scheme and the highest levels of the
>>Chinese government. 
>>
>>Although this latest FBI assessment appears to pose a major
>>potential problem for U.S. relations with China, White House
>>officials said yesterday they had received no such information or
>>update from the Justice Department or the FBI. 
>>
>>"We're not aware of additional information given to the White
>>House that causes us to adjust the diplomatic approach we've
>>already taken in meetings held by the vice president and
>>secretary of state with Chinese officials" during visits to Beijing
>>in recent months, White House press secretary Michael
>>McCurry said last night. 
>>
>>During those visits, Vice President Gore and Secretary of State
>>Madeleine K. Albright reportedly warned Chinese officials that
>>if allegations of government involvement in an influence-buying
>>attempt were proven, it would be considered serious. Beijing
>>has categorically denied the allegations. Coincidentally, Chinese
>>Foreign Minister Qian Qichen is expected to arrive in
>>Washington this weekend for talks. 
>>
>>Communications difficulties between the White House and the
>>FBI on the matter first arose in February, when the White
>>House asked for information about a China connection to the
>>ongoing fund-raising investigation after learning of it from news
>>reports. But Freeh refused on grounds that the White House
>>itself might be implicated in the criminal inquiry. 
>>
>>After the White House persisted, formally requesting the
>>information as crucial to its conduct of foreign policy with
>>Beijing, Freeh and Reno determined that President Clinton
>>would be provided with a broad statement about possible
>>Chinese government involvement in any illegal activities. 
>>
>>One White House official said such a statement eventually was
>>received, but he described it as vague, "plain vanilla," and
>>merely recounting press reports of an investigation. 
>>
>>Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), who attended the classified
>>Wednesday briefing by Freeh and Reno, described the
>>allegations regarding the Chinese government as "very, very
>>serious. These are foreign contributions, and laundered money,
>>and it's illegal." Initial information obtained by the FBI indicated
>>the Chinese planned to spend nearly $2 million on the alleged
>>scheme. 
>>
>>But there still are significant gaps in the information gathered by
>>investigators, including all the intended targets of laundered
>>Chinese government funds or conclusive evidence that the
>>money ever reached any of them. A number of possible
>>destinations for the money are being looked at by investigators,
>>ranging from members of Congress -- at least six of whom were
>>warned of possible Chinese intentions in 1996 -- to the
>>Democratic National Committee and the Clintons' legal defense
>>fund. 
>>
>>The investigation involves tracking funds from the Chinese
>>government or Chinese government-controlled businesses
>>through a number of foreign and domestic banks, corporations
>>and perhaps even cash transfers. 
>>
>>One transaction being examined involves more than $100,000
>>transferred in 1995 from a Chinese bank in New York to
>>another bank in Washington, corresponding in time and amount
>>with a questionable DNC contribution. 
>>
>>In another example, sources confirmed the substance of a Wall
>>Street Journal report earlier this month that Charles Yah Lin
>>Trie, a longtime Arkansas friend of Clinton's and a DNC
>>fund-raiser, received large bank transfers from a major Chinese
>>state-run commercial bank. The transfers amounted to hundreds
>>of thousands of dollars in 1995 and 1996, the sources said. 
>>
>>Trie gave or solicited more than $300,000 for the DNC and
>>raised $640,000 for the legal defense fund, all of which has
>>been returned because of questions about its origin. Trie, who
>>reportedly is in Asia, has denied any wrongdoing through his
>>attorney. 
>>
>>One key investigator said the legal defense fund -- established to
>>pay private attorneys for the president and Hillary Rodham
>>Clinton in the Whitewater inquiry and other matters -- is being
>>examined thoroughly. "It is the only circumstance in which
>>citizens can [legally] put money in the pocket of the president,"
>>the investigator said. 
>>
>>The DNC already has said it is returning nearly half of the $3
>>million raised by John Huang, a former Commerce Department
>>official and key committee fund-raiser in the Asian American
>>community, because of questions about the source of the funds. 
>>
>>Researcher Jeff Glasser contributed to this report. 
>>
>>    © Copyright 1997 The Washington Post Company
>
<snip>

========================================================================
Paul Andrew, Mitchell, B.A., M.S.    : Counselor at Law, federal witness
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