RNC raising funds in Asia for years, hypocrites, liars and crooks. And they blamed Gore for the Temple Fundraiser. At least that was in the US and no one found any laws were broken.
"The NPF was founded by Barbour in 1993 and heavily subsidized with RNC money. Thursday, a source close to Barbour confirmed that "an effort was made to solicit" funds for the NPF from non-U.S. corporations. But the source said "the effort did not succeed." How widespread the approaches were is unclear, but Barbour reportedly has named Toyota and "Taiwan money" as examples of possible sources of contributions to the NPF.
In 1994, with the NPF strapped for cash and deeply in debt to the RNC, GOP officials turned to Young Brothers Development-USA, a Florida-based affiliate of Young's Hong Kong company, to guarantee a private bank loan to the NPF.
Young, who advises American multinationals doing business in Asia, was raised in Taiwan and later moved to the United States, where he became a U.S. citizen and donated heavily to the GOP, becoming a member of "Team 100," the elite group of contributors of $100,000 or more. One of Young's sons is also a Team 100 member, GOP officials said. Several years ago, Young gave up his U.S. citizenship and moved to Hong Kong.
The 1994 loan guarantee from Young's company enabled the NPF to repay $1.6 million to the RNC in October, 1994, when the RNC needed funds to finance tight congressional races vital to the GOP's November takeover of Congress.
Over the next several months, the NPF journal Common Sense published two lengthy articles by Young on the importance of U.S. policy toward China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
Young then accompanied Barbour on an official RNC trip to Beijing in January 1996, and met with Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen. Chinese officials also hosted a dinner in the Great Hall of the People, Barbour said.
Shortly after the Barbour visit to China, the private bank called in the loan to the National Policy Forum, and Young Brothers Development-USA, as the guarantor, was forced to pay $500,000.
Federal election law allows foreign subsidiaries to contribute to U.S. elections only if the money is generated in this country. |
