Time: Thu May 08 14:13:29 1997 by primenet.com (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id LAA14959; Thu, 8 May 1997 11:57:15 -0700 (MST) id OAA08285; Thu, 8 May 1997 14:41:40 -0400 (EDT) id OAA08247; Thu, 8 May 1997 14:41:33 -0400 (EDT) id AA05350; Thu, 8 May 1997 14:41:32 -0400 by usr05.primenet.com (8.8.5/8.8.5) with SMTP id LAA09787; Thu, 8 May 1997 11:36:11 -0700 (MST) Date: Thu, 08 May 1997 13:40:12 -0700 To: (Recipient list suppressed) From: Paul Andrew Mitchell [address in tool bar] Subject: SNET: SLS: China vs. U.S. (fwd) Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit -> SearchNet's SNETNEWS Mailing List <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 email: [address in tool bar] : Eudora Pro 3.0.1 on Intel 586 CPU web site: http://www.supremelaw.com : library & law school registration 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 ======================================================================== -> Send "subscribe snetnews " to majordomo@world.std.com -> Posted by: Paul Andrew Mitchell [address in tool bar]
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