RNC heavy fundraisers in Asia, Haley Barbour new chief GOP congressional fundraiser. The corruption continues.
"MATT FONG. While the GOP accused the DNC of receiving donations from communist China, it was Republicans who maintained closer ties with the PRC. The California state treasurer and the 1998 senatorial candidate, Fong received $500,000 from Ted Sioeng who worked for a conservative think tank Additionally, Fong pocketed another $500,000 from Panda Estates Investments which is a Sioeng family-controlled company. Fong claimed that he never solicited that amount from Sioeng in April 1995 and did not know about the contribution until later. However, documents indicated that Sioeng spoke to Fong about the donation. A close friend of Fong picked up the check and later received several thousand dollars from the think tank in connection with the donation. In 1996, Fong quickly returned $200,000, of which half came from Sioeng.
In September 1997, Fong was deposed by Senate investigators and swore that Sioeng had given him two contributions in April 1995. However, Fong did acknowledge that he told Sioeng how to fill out the checks and how they would be collected. The two checks bore the name of Sioeng who claimed that the donations came from Sioeng's daughter, a Los Angeles businesswoman, and that her donations to Fong were legal. She contributed $2,000 to attend a fundraiser for Fong's California state treasury bid in 1994, and his campaign ended in $300,000 in debt. Fong reportedly received a commitment from Sioeng that he would eliminate his campaign deficit.
Fong claimed that he never solicited that amount from businessman Ted Sioeng for a controversial GOP thinktank in 1995 and did not know about the contribution until later. However, documents indicated that Sioeng spoke to Fong about the donation. A close friend of Fong picked up the check and later received several thousand dollars from the think tank in connection with the donation. In 1996, Fong quickly returned $100,000, of which half came from Sioeng.
In September 1997, Fong was deposed by Senate investigators and swore that Sioeng had given him two contributions totaling $50,000 April 1995. However, Fong did acknowledge that he told Sioeng how to fill out the checks and how they would be collected. The two checks bore the name of Sioeng who claimed that the donations came from Sioeng's daughter, a Los Angeles businesswoman, and that her donations to Fong were legal. She contributed $2,000 to attend a fundraiser for Fong's California state treasury bid in 1994, and his campaign ended in $300,000 in debt. Fong reportedly received a commitment from Sioeng that he would eliminate his campaign deficit.
In addition, Fong's wife Paula, a RNC fund-raiser, earned a $10,000 commission on the donation. There was no evidence that any of the money that went from the Sioeng family to Fong had anything to do with the PRC, but it was the GOP which originally claimed that the Democrats were the culprits. Records also indicated that Paula Fong received $6,500 from the conservative National Policy Forum.
RNC CHAIR HALEY BARBOUR. In 1996, Haley Barbour toured several Asian countries. Even though he announced on November 7, 1996 that he had never been involved in fund-raising overseas, Barbour spoke at Hong Kong and Tokyo receptions which were sponsored by Republicans Abroad, whose organizers said that they were asking for contributions from American citizens living in Asia. Robert Connelly, owner of a Japanese business, attended the Tokyo reception and stated that RNC chair Barbour did mention the need for party money.
Republicans Abroad stated that they received contributions from a number of Japanese guests. Charlotte Kennedy Takahashi, former chair for Republicans Abroad in Japan, stated that the event attracted nearly 100 people, both American and non-American citizens, both of whom made contributions to the RNC. The Tokyo dinner was a $250-a-person reception which netted over $100,000.
However, the Republicans contended that they were legal contributions, since their organizers stayed with the group in Japan, and the money was used to only cover the cost of the dinners. Joan Shepherd, chairwoman for Republicans Abroad, admitted that the purpose of the receptions was to bring in contributions for the RNC. Over a span of 15 months, Shepherd stated that Republicans Abroad raised over $460,000. An FEC report stated that in 1995 and 1996 Republicans Abroad raised $662,301.
The largest donor to the GOP in 1996 was the American Defense Institute which runs a voter turn-out program for military personnel who tend to vote Republican. The group received over $1 million, have of which came from Philip Morris and which was solicited by Barbour.
MICHAEL KOJIMA. Kojima, while owing over $100,000 in child support to three ex-wives, contributed over half a million dollars to the GOP. According to a CBS report, the money donated to the RNC by Kojima was not his own, but instead was laundered foreign money from Japanese businessmen. Kojima asked Japanese businessmen for $175,000 each to attend a fund-raiser with former President Bush in 1992. At least five of the foreign businessmen gave Kojima money to attend the fund-raiser with Bush.
Kojima contributed over $600,000 to the RNC and was reimbursed for at least part of the $600,000 by the Japanese businessmen. After these contributions to the GOP, Kojima sat next to then-President Bush at a 1992 fundraiser. Subsequently, he had several other meetings with Bush, then-Vice President Dan Quayle, and other American officials in Washington and Tokyo.
Despite the money trail the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee refused to investigate the contributions from Japanese businessmen. Thompson claimed that they are outside the scope of the campaign finance hearings.
ROGER MURDOCH. Murdoch was able to use American subsidiaries of his Australian- based news corporation to give $835,859 to the GOP in the 1996 election year. The Senate committee raised questions about the legality of Murdoch's contributions, since an American subsidiary may make contributions only from net profits and not from net revenue. Even though Murdoch's American subsidiaries had enough revenue to cover the donations, it is unclear if Murdoch actually reported any taxable income from his American operations. Executives at Murdoch's News Corporation stated that their corporation has paid little or nothing in United States federal income tax. If this is true, then Murdoch's donations would be illegal.
ROBERT DOLE. In October 199,7 Empire Sanitary Landfill pleaded guilty to conspiracy in connection with its scheme to funnel $129,000 in illegal campaign contributions to 10 political candidates. The company agreed to pay an $8 million fine, the highest penalty ever for a campaign finance violation. Empire's fine was more than the $6 million fine assessed against Dole finance vice chairman Simon Fireman. Empire created an elaborate scheme to circumvent prohibitions on corporate giving to candidates by funneling its contributions through employees or individuals associated with the company. Dole's 1996 presidential campaign was the largest beneficiary of the Empire scheme, receiving $80,000 in illegal contributions from Empire in April and May of 1995. Other GOP recipients of the laundered funds from Empire include Senators Rick Santorum and Arlen Specter. Specter sits on the Senate committee investigating campaign finance abuses.
Many television ads, which were run by the RNC in 1996, were actually produced by Dole's presidential campaign and run solely to boost his candidacy. In a June 5, 1996 memo, then-RNC chair Barbour wrote to RNC staffers that the issue ad budget was controlled by Scott Reed, Dole's campaign manager. Barbour wrote: "I will reach out to Scott Reed to ask him to consider whether the Dole campaign would want us to ... reduce other spending, such as the issue advocacy television advertising by $800,000." Dole's media consultant Don Sipple wrote that Barbour and Reed needed to coordinate strategy on issue ads attacking the President. Sipple stated: "As per our discussion Wednesday evening, it is my view that what we run should have significant force that Clinton and the Democrats are compelled to respond." Sipple went on to discuss possible subjects for the new ads. |
