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Technology Stocks : LORAL -- Political Discussion -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bill who wrote (853)	7/28/1999 2:06:00 PM
From: jlallen	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 880

Justice? What Justice Justice Dept. Ignoring Evidence On Chinese Campaign Contributions Updated 8.08 p.m. ET (0008 GMT) July 27, 1999 By Carl Cameron A Justice Department task force investigating alleged illegal foreign contributions to the Democratic Party has possessed potentially incriminating documents since the fall of 1997, Fox News has learned. The documents — bank records from Citibank, which has branches in New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong — indicate that big-time Democratic donor Johnny Chung received $300,000 from Chinese government officials. Sources say Chung in 1997 turned over the records, which show he received a wire transfer from Citibank's Hong Kong branch from Liu Chaoying, a vice president at China Aerospace, a firm that helps loft satellites into orbit on Chinese rockets. China Aerospace has worked numerous times with U.S. satellite makers Hughes Electronics and Loral Space & Communications, whose chief executive, Bernard L. Schwartz, was the top donor to President Clinton's re-election campaign, contributing almost $1 million. Liu Chaoying, who is also a lieutenant colonel in China's People's Liberation Army, introduced Chung to the head of Chinese military intelligence, Gen. Ji Shengde, who arranged to have $300,000 wired to Chung, who has since said he gave only a small portion of that money to the Democrats. Gen. Ji was recently demoted from his position, reportedly because of the transfer of funds. Chung has pled guilty to campaign finance violations and is cooperating with government investigators. His appearance before Congress in May was the first voluntary appearance by more than 100 people with connections to alleged Chinese attempts to influence the 1996 elections. Sources say the Justice Dept. never bothered to pursue the bank records, a simple piece of evidence that would have revealed that the origin of Chung's cash was one of China's top spies. A senior DOJ task force source said investigators chose to concentrate on other leads and in recent months have run into problems with Citibank's reluctance to supply additional information. The DOJ source said both U.S. and Chinese banking regulations made pursuing the lead very difficult. More Leads Ignored There is also a battle raging within the Department of Justice campaign finance task force over how to proceed with the plea-bargained sentencing of long-time Clinton friend and fund-raiser Yah-Lin Charlie Trie, who has pleaded guilty to fund-raising violations. Sources familiar with Trie's DOJ cooperation say some FBI investigators want to hold off on Trie's sentencing in order to pursue his allegations that top Democratic National Committee and White House officials were aware of — and on at least two occasions encouraged — illegally funneled foreign contributions to the Democratic Party during the 1996 Clinton-Gore campaign. Sources close to Trie say he has been trying to tell investigators about several alleged illegal contributions from a mysterious Macao businessman named Ng Lap Seng. Also known as Mr. Wu, Seng, who has ties to Asian organized crime, allegedly funneled several hundred thousand dollars to the DNC through various illegal means. Sources with knowledge of Trie's testimony say, however, that top-level Justice Dept. political appointees have expressed little interest in Trie's revelations and want the case wrapped up. Sources say Johnny Chung, too, is telling friends he offered the Justice Dept. new details of White House and DNC knowledge of foreign fund-raising impropriety, but investigators "did not want to hear it." One senior Justice Dept. prosecutor expressed his frustration to Fox News, saying there is "fertile ground" to till and that he is being pressed to ignore it. Chung, meanwhile, is trying to get a book deal. Sources say he has been turned down by several publishers because he is seeking a million-dollar advance. What a joke. And the Repubs do NOTHING. JLA