Chung says Democrats advised him on taking the 5th
Updated 12:29 AM ET August 15, 1999
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic fund raiser Johnny Chung, a key figure in the
1996 campaign finance scandal, said Saturday Democrats told him how to plead the Fifth
Amendment before he testified to Congress in 1997.
Speaking in an interview to air on the Fox News Channel Monday, Chung said he
received a package on "how to plead the Fifth" from the chief counsel for the Democrats
on the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee, where he was set to testify.
"At the very beginning of 1997, the Democrat side of the Government Reform Committee
sent a package to my office, to my attorney's office," Chung said in the interview, adding
that the package "tried to teach me how to plead -- take the Fifth."
The U.S. Constitution's Fifth Amendment gives individuals the right against
self-incrimination.
Philip Schiliro, Democratic staff director of the House Government Reform Committee,
told Reuters that Chung's assertions are "regrettable and categorically wrong."
"At no time did a staff counsel make any effort to discourage Mr. Chung from cooperating
with the committee. At no time did any staff counsel try to influence Mr. Chung's decision
on whether to assert the Fifth Amendment to deny Chung's allegation," Schiliro said.
Chung, a Taiwanese-born businessman, appeared before the congressional panel in
November 1997. He was called to testify again in May of this year after claims that his
account differed from press reports of what he told federal investigators.
Before Chung invoked the Fifth Amendment, Chung's attorney asked Democratic staff
members for a packet of information regarding the rights of all witnesses before any U.S.
congressional committee, Schiliro said.
"That information, including the materials on Fifth Amendment procedures, was provided,"
he said.
"Mr. Chung asserted his Fifth Amendment right for the purpose of the committee
deposition, but provided six hours of off-the-record testimony with Republican and
Democratic committee members," Schiliro added.
Chung has been cooperating with a Justice Department task force probing allegations of
illegal Democratic fund-raising in 1996. He told the panel in May that he helped funnel
$300,000 from a high-ranking Chinese military officer to President Clinton's re-election
campaign. China has denied the charge.
Chung was given five years probation in December after striking a deal with prosecutors
and pleading guilty to charges of bank fraud, tax evasion and making illegal contributions
to the Clinton-Gore campaign.
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