Goreisms Update. GORE LIES.
The Gore Lie
“I did not know that it was a fundraiser.” (Al Gore, NBC’s “Today,” 1/24/97)
The Truth
The Secret Service Knew. According to documents provided to Congress, the Secret Service was informed that the event at the Buddhist Temple was a fundraiser. The site and location of the event is described as the “HSI LAI TEMPLE, 3456 GLENMARK DRIVE, HACIENDA HEIGHTS.” And under the space marked “NATURE OF EVENT AND NUMBERS EXPECTED TO ATTEND,” it states, “FUNDRAISING LUNCHEON, 150 ATTENDEES, 370 INVITED TEMPLE MEMBERS.”
The White House Staff Knew. John Huang told a Chinese newspaper in Los Angeles that the White House “saw no conflict in Gore attending a fundraiser at a religious facility.” John Huang gave an interview to the World Journal on April 24, 1996, five days before the event at the Hsi Lai Temple. The article provides: “Individuals of the local Chinese community are planning a vegetarian fundraising banquet to show support for the re-election of Clinton and Gore. . . . This is believed to be the first political fundraiser at [sic] Hsi Lai Temple. . . . After being briefed, the White House saw no conflict in Gore attending a fundraiser at a religious facility. Citing prior instances of such, the White House agreed on Gore’s appearance at [sic] Hsi Lai Temple.” (“Gore Visits Hsi Lai Temple on the 29th,” World Journal, 4/24/96, Translation by the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee)
Gore Acted as if He Knew. Gore personally sent an email regarding the April 29, 1996 “fundraisers” in California the very day he met with temple master Hsing Yun, Maria Hsia, and John Huang in the White House. On March 15, 1996, a staff member e-mailed Gore about attending a separate event in New York on April 28, 1996. Gore responded via e-mail later the same day: “If we have already booked the fundraisers [in California] then we have to decline.”
The National Security Council Knew. On April 15, 1996, two weeks before the temple event, two White House national security experts exchanged e-mails regarding the event: “Hsing Yun has invited the VP to visit the Hsi Lai Temple in LA. Hsing Yun would host a fundraising lunch for about 150 people in the VP’s honor.” The “150 people” figure is consistent with the Secret Service document referenced above and indicates that the fundraiser was to be at the temple, not another location as indicated by Maria Hsia and John Huang.
Maria Hsia Knew: Hsia Organized and Attended the Event. In April of 1996, now-convicted Democrat fundraiser Hsia, who arranged and planned the event with John Huang, was a major fundraiser for Gore for eight years. She acted as one of Gore’s escorts at the temple event and even translated his speech for him that day. According to Fortune magazine, “Gore saw green whenever he saw Hsia.” (Fortune, 2/27/00) Gore was well acquainted with Hsia. “In 1989, Gore was the sole U.S. Senator to accept Hsia’s entreaty to visit the temple’s Taiwan headquarters on a trip partly paid for by the order.” (Fortune, 2/27/00) On February 14, 2000, Matthew Gorman, Hsia’s assistant at the time of the temple event, testified in U.S. v. Hsia that Hsia requested that he help organize the temple event while she was in China. Four or five days before the event, Hsia expressed concern to Gorman that none of the non-VIP guests invited would contribute money to the DNC. Gorman was shocked that she expected him to keep track of the temple contributions. Hsia replied, “Well this is a fundraiser.” (U.S. v. Hsia, 1999) After the event, Gorman asked Hsia how the event went. Hsia replied, “Not enough money was raised as I expected. I talked with Master Hsing Yun, and he said he’ll take care of it.” (emphasis added) (U.S. v. Hsia, 1999)
John Huang Knew: Huang Attended and Helped Organize the Event. At the time of the event in April of 1996, Democrat fundraiser Huang, who recently pled guilty to campaign finance violations, had been a major fundraiser for Gore for eight years. Huang was a Vice Chairman for Finance at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) at the time - and in charge of raising funds in the Asian community for the DNC. In fact, as early as September 27, 1993, Gore paid high praise to Huang’s fundraising prowess at a DNC event: “And to my friend John Huang and his wife Jane, thank you for being a long time friend and ally. We go back a long time. . . . We are long time friends, and John has been a very faithful and meaningful, productive supporter of the efforts being made by our party, and I want to publicly thank you.” (emphasis added) (Al Gore, DNC Reception/Fundraiser, house.gov, 9/27/93)
Recently, in U.S. v. Hsia, Huang testified that he “mentioned” to Hsia that he “hoped [he] could bring back $100,000.” (U.S. v. Hsia, 1999) He further testified that Hsia “handed [him] an envelope” and indicated that it contained $100,000.
Don Fowler and David Strauss Knew: Both Fowler and Strauss Attended the Event. At the time of the event in April of 1996, Don Fowler was National Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and David Strauss was Gore’s Deputy Chief of Staff. Fowler and Strauss were both in the loop regarding many fundraising matters concerning the Clinton/Gore reelection effort. John Huang testified before Congress that Fowler and Strauss both knew the event was a fundraiser:
Chairman Burton: In an interview, the Vice President said, quote, “I did not know that the money was being contributed at the time. The people with me did not know. Obviously something, someone did not handle it right. Now, is that true? Did none of the people that were accompanying the Vice President like Don Fowler or David Strauss, did - or yourself, I mean, did any of them know that money was being collected?”
Huang: To answer your question, it’s not true. I believe Mr. Fowler knows about that. And also Mr. Strauss probably knew about that as well.
Chairman Burton: So they knew it was a fundraiser, you knew it was a fundraiser, Maria Hsia knew it was a fundraiser, Don Fowler knew it was a fundraiser, but the Vice President, who was with all of you, did not know it was a fundraiser?
Huang: Mr. Chairman, I can only state that Mr. Fowler knows about it, knew about it, and Mr. Strauss knew about it. I really can’t say anything further about [sic] what more than that. (John Huang, Testimony before the House Committee on Government Reform, 12/99)
On September 5, 1997, Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) asked Gore’s Chief of Staff, Strauss, “Do you dispute that the event on April 29 at the Buddhist Temple was a fundraiser?” Strauss responded, “I do.” (Testimony of David Strauss, Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Hearing, 9/5/97) In a deposition, DNC Chairman Don Fowler indicated, “I was aware there was a fundraising aspect to this event.” (emphasis added) (Deposition of Donald Fowler, Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, 4/21/97)
The Contributors Knew: Huang Told Congress that the More Money an Attendee Contributed or Raised for the Temple Event, the Closer They Sat to Gore. At most fundraisers, the high-dollar donors sit in close proximity to the person being honored - Gore’s temple event was no exception:
Chairman Burton: Did any of the people that gave you money get special seating at the event? Did they sit up front?
Huang: Some of the people willing to making a more commitment [sic], yes, they were. . . .
Chairman Burton: But did [the Department of Justice] ask you if the people who contributed got special seating?
Huang: Some yes, but some of the people did not even contribute was also there. . . .
Chairman Burton: What I want to ask you is this: When the Justice Department asked you who these people were there and why they were there, did you say these people in the front row or these people were contributors, did you tell them that? What did you tell the Justice Department?
Huang: Not all of them. Some of them were. (emphasis added) (John Huang, Testimony before the House Committee on Government Reform, 12/99)
The DNC Knew: The Itinerary for the Temple Event Placed a Dollar Amount on Attendance and Laid out the Vice President’s Role. The itinerary prepared by the DNC for Gore provided that:
“This luncheon is with members of the Asian Community in Southern California who have joined the Asian Pacific American Leadership Council of the Democratic National Committee. Membership in the APALC requires an annual contribution of $2,500 per person or $5,000 per couple. Estimated attendance at this event is 125 guests.”
Incidentally, most of the checks collected in conjunction with the temple event were for $2,500 or $5,000 each. The memo further provides that the Vice President’s role was “[t]o extend appreciation for participant support and inspire political and fundraising efforts among the Asian Pacific American Community.”
Among those at the head table with Gore were Maria Hsia, who along with John Huang was responsible for raising the funds for the event, Master Hsing Yun, who allowed thousands in temple funds to be used for the reimbursement of contributions, and Ted Sioeng, who through his family and associates contributed $400,000 to the DNC during the 1996 election cycle, much of which originated with foreign sources. (emphasis added) (House Government Reform Committee Interim Report, p. 206, 11/5/98; Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Report, 3/10/98, p. 1779)
The Attendees Knew: Witnesses Say Fundraising Was Discussed from the Lectern in the Presence of the Vice President. “[A]t least two of the guests who attended the event in Hacienda Heights on April 29, 1996 recall fundraising actually being discussed from the lectern-in the presence of the Vice President.” (Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Report, 3/10/98, p. 1788) One speaker cited the amount of money raised at the event in the presence of the Vice President. Further, the Senate report provides that:
More explicitly, Sherry Shaw, who sat at Table 8, recalls that one of the luncheon speakers took the podium and reassured the assembled guests that “they” had “double-checked,” and that it was “O.K. to give contributions at the Hsi Lai Temple.” She said that the man who made this comment “had a Japanese last name.” (Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Report, 3/10/98, p. 1794)
The Vice President’s Staff Knew: Memo Prepared and Distributed by Vice Presidential Scheduler Jackie Dycke Listed a “Ticket Price” of $1,000 to $5,000 Per Head. Numerous documents demonstrate that the Vice President’s staff was fully aware that the April 29 event was a fundraiser. On April 11, the Vice President’s staff held a scheduling meeting to discuss the April 29 fundraiser. At this meeting,
“Vice Presidential scheduler Jackie Dycke handed out copies of a document she had prepared showing that the upcoming April 29 luncheon at the Temple in Hacienda Heights had a “ticket price” of $1,000 to $5,000 a head. . . . Throughout the rest of April, internal White House e-mail traffic continued to refer to the upcoming Los Angeles “fundraiser,” the last of such references being on April 24, less than a week before the event was to occur. (emphasis added) (Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Report, 3/10/98, p. 1793)
On the Air Force Two flight to California for the temple event, “Gore’s press secretary, Peggy Wilhide, and other members of his staff and security detail openly referred to the temple lunch and San Jose reception [following the temple event] as ‘fundraisers’ that were closed to the press.” (Bill Turque, Inventing Al Gore, 2000, p. 319) “Community outreach” events would usually be open to the press.
Gore Created the Internet? Lie Number Two!
The Gore Lie
“During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet.” (Al Gore, CNN’s “Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer,” 3/9/99)
The Truth
The U.S. Defense Department Created the Internet. “The Internet, originally called ARPANET, dates to 1969, when the Defense Department began funding the project. Gore, then 21, was still eight years away from joining Congress.” (The Associated Press, 3/11/99)
Gore Was the Inspiration for Love Story? Lie Number Three!
The Gore Lie
“Around midnight, after a three-city tour of Texas last month, the Vice President came wandering back to the press compartment of Air Force Two. Sliding in behind a table with the two reporters covering him that day, he picked slices of fruit from their plates and spent two hours swapping opinions about movies and telling stories about old chums like Erich Segal, who, Gore said, used Al and Tipper as models for the uptight preppy and his free-spirited girlfriend in Love Story; and Gore’s Harvard roommate Tommy Lee Jones, who played the roommate of the Gore-like character in the movie version of Segal’s book.” (Time, 12/15/97)
The Truth
Not According to Love Story Author Erich Segal. “Vice President Al Gore acknowledged Sunday a ‘miscommunication’ on his part in leading reporters to believe he and his wife were the model for the 1970s romance novel ‘Love Story.’ The author, Erich Segal, told The New York Times he was ‘befuddled’ by the comments in the first place. He said he called Gore, and the vice president said it was a misunderstanding.” (The Des Moines Register, 12/15/97)
Gore was Never in Favor of Holding the Music Labeling Hearings? Lie Number Four!
The Gore Lie
“Sen. Gore echoed his wife’s feeling that the hearing ‘was not a good idea,’ and attempted to exculpate himself from the proceedings by virtue of the fact that he was ‘a freshman minority member of the committee’ in no position to veto the affair. Indeed, the Gores laid blame for the hearing at the door of two other senators – John Danforth (R-Mo.) and Paula Hawkins (R-Fla.) – both of whom Sen. Gore said were eager to hold the heavily publicized forum, with Commerce Committee chairman Danforth hastening to convene when he learned that Hawkins was trying to steer the event her way. ‘I did not ask for the hearing,’ Gore told the Hollywood group. ‘I was not in favor of the hearing.’” (Variety, 11/3/87)
The Truth
Gore Said He Was in Favor of the Hearings at the Time. “Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I would like to thank you and commend you for calling this hearing. Because my wife has been heavily involved in the evolution of this issue, I have gained quite a bit of familiarity with it, and I have really gained an education in what is involved.” (Sen. Al Gore, U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Hearing on Record Labeling, 9/19/85)
Gore Led a Crusade Against Tobacco? Lie Number Five!
The Gore Lie
“When I was a child, my family was attacked by an invisible force that was then considered harmless. My sister Nancy was older than me. There were only the two of us, and I loved her more than life itself. She started smoking when she was 13 years old. The connection between smoking and lung cancer had not yet been established. But years later, the cigarettes had taken their toll. It hurt very badly to watch her savaged by that terrible disease. Her husband Frank and all of us who loved her so much tried to get her to stop smoking. . . . Tomorrow morning, another 13-year-old girl will start smoking. I love her too. Three thousand young people in America will start smoking tomorrow. One thousand of them will die a death not unlike my sister’s. And that is why until I draw my last breath, I will pour my heart and soul into the cause of protecting our children from the dangers of smoking.” (Al Gore, The Democratic National Convention, 8/28/96)
The Truth
Yet, 4 Years after the Death of Gore’s Sister the Press Reported: ‘“Throughout most of my life, I raised tobacco,’ the Tennessee senator hollered. ‘I want you to know that with my own hands, all of my life, I put it in the plant beds and transferred it. I’ve hoed it, I’ve dug in it, I’ve sprayed it, I’ve chopped it, I’ve shredded it, spiked it, put it in the barn and stripped it and sold it.’” ([New York] Newsday, 2/26/88)
Gore Was Still Growing Tobacco and Receiving Money from Tobacco Interests Years After His Sister’s Death. Tobacco was still grown on the Gore family farm years after Gore’s sister’s death. (CNN’s “Inside Politics,” 3/19/99) Furthermore, from 1979 until the end of 1990, Gore accepted $25,200 from tobacco interests. (Tray.com, 8/30/96)
Gore Worked for 20 Years on a Test Ban Treaty? Lie Number Six!
The Gore Lie
“I’ve worked on this for 20 years because, unless we get this one right, nothing else matters.” (Gore 2000 web site, 10/14/99)
The Truth
For His Entire Congressional Career, Al Gore was the Leading Democrat Voice Against a Comprehensive Test Ban. In fact, as late as 1992, just before becoming Bill Clinton’s Vice President, Gore stood on the floor of the Senate and laid out all the reasons he was opposed to a comprehensive test ban:
“If nuclear warheads remain in our inventory for another 10, 20, or 30 years, there may come a moment when we detect a flaw that raises serious doubt about the reliability of a design. If by then we are relying on only a handful of weapons types, and have realized the hope of radically cutting back the total number of weapons, any doubt as to the reliability of a warhead design would be very serious.”
“I would add that it would be even more serious in the event that at that future time we face an opponent who is both nuclear-armed and equipped with a missile defense and air defense system of some substance. Of course, we might hope that political relations with any such country will be so good as to make the risks flowing from a failure of some element of our nuclear arsenal entirely acceptable. But then again, there is no way to count on that.” (Al Gore, Congressional Record, 6/17/92)
Al Gore May Have Been the Only Member of the Senate Who Opposed a Comprehensive Test Ban Because of His Support for Soviet Nuclear Testing. According to Gore: “Since Soviet warhead designs are the product of the same disastrous bureaucratic culture that is responsible for other Soviet nuclear disasters, we had better give some thought to the advisability of freezing their designs, as opposed to somehow encouraging their modification for purposes of greater safety.” (Al Gore, Congressional Record, 6/17/92)
Gore Opposed Even a Limited Test Ban. Far from supporting a complete ban on nuclear testing, as called for by the CTBT, in 1988, Gore was so committed to continued nuclear testing that he argued strongly against even a limited test ban. When a proposal came before the Senate that would have limited the testing of nuclear devices to those with a yield of one kiloton or less, Gore spoke in opposition to it because that threshold was so low it would have been unverifiable “even with extensive cooperative measures,” such as those envisioned by the CTBT. His argument won over his Senate colleagues, and the proposed threshold was raised by a factor of five. (Al Gore, Congressional Record, 5/12/88)
Still Distorting the Record. Following the Senate’s rejection of the CTBT, Gore accused the Republican majority of deciding “not even to have any hearings on this treaty before they voted on a strict party line basis to reject it.” He later repeated the charge that “without any hearings. . . they just decided to reject it on a partisan basis.” In fact, a total of five hearings on the CTBT were held by the Senate Intelligence, Armed Services, and Foreign Relations committees following the Senate’s decision to take up the treaty. Among those testifying at these hearings were high-ranking Administration officials, including Secretary of Defense William Cohen and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Henry Shelton, who testified before the Armed Services Committee on October 6; Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who testified before the Foreign Relations Committee on October 7; and Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson, who testified before the Armed Services Committee on October 7. These hearings followed 26 previous hearings at which CTBT-related testimony had been taken. (Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) Letter to Al Gore, 11/5/99)
Gore Has Always Been Pro-Choice? Lie Number Seven!
The Gore Lie
“And know this, I will always, always defend a woman’s right to choose. Every time Congress has tried to play politics with that fundamental personal right -- imposing gag rules, and attaching anti-choice language to any bill they can think of -- we have stood up to them and stopped them.” (Al Gore, Remarks at Women for Gore Event, 6/1/99)
The Truth
Gore Was Pro-Life as a Congressman. “It is my deep personal conviction that abortion is wrong. I hope that some day we will see the current outrageously large number of abortions drop sharply. . . . Let me assure you that I share your belief that innocent human life must be protected . . In my opinion, it is wrong to spend federal funds for what is arguably the taking of a human life. . . .” (Rep. Al Gore, Letter to a Constituent, 7/18/84)
“During my 11 years in Congress, I have consistently opposed federal funding of abortions. In my opinion, it is wrong to spend federal funds for what is arguably the taking of a human life.” (Sen. Al Gore, Letter to a Constituent, 5/26/87)
“Calling abortion ‘the most complex issue that any candidate faces,’ Albert Gore Jr. said Wednesday that he doesn’t believe the courts have struck a proper balance between the rights of a fetus and a woman’s right to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. ‘I don’t believe a woman’s freedom to live her own life, in all cases, outweighs the fetus’ right to life,’ the 4th District congressional candidate said, predicting that the abortion issue will be the forerunner to a whole series of issues in which medical technology and basic human rights come in conflict. Gore said he favors a cautious, case-by-case approach.” (The Nashville Banner, 7/29/76)
Gore’s Reporting Resulted In the Imprisonment of a Bunch of People? Lie Number Eight!
The Gore Lie
“In 1987, Gore’s eagerness to play up his image as an investigative reporter led to one of the worst gaffes of his short-lived campaign for the presidency. Gore told The Des Moines Register that his reporting ‘got a bunch of people indicted and sent to jail.’” (Columbia Journalism Review, 1/93)
The Truth
In 1988 Gore Was Caught Lying About His Career as a Reporter. “Presidential candidate Sen. Albert Gore Jr. says he made an honest mistake when he said a Metro councilman had gone to prison after Gore wrote stories as a Tennessean reporter.”
“In an interview published last Sunday by the Des Moines Register, Gore was quoted as saying he ‘got a bunch of people indicted and sent to jail’ while working as a reporter for The Tennessean in the 1970s.”
“A story appearing in yesterday’s edition of The Commercial Appeal, a Memphis newspaper, says Gore exaggerated his record as an investigative reporter for The Tennessean.”
“Two persons were indicted as a result of an investigation into alleged corruption on the Metro Council in Nashville during the period in which Gore was covering the council. Neither of them was imprisoned as a result of the charges.” (The Tennessean, 10/4/87)
Gore Faced Enemy Fire in Vietnam? Lie Number Nine!
The Gore Lie
“And I was shot at. . . . I spent most of my time in the field.” (Al Gore, The Washington Post, 2/3/88)
“I carried an M-16. . . I pulled my turn on the perimeter at night and walked through the elephant grass, and I was fired upon.” (Al Gore, Los Angeles Times, 10/15/99)
The Truth
Gore No Longer Mentions Combat Duty on the Campaign Trail. “On the campaign trail today, while he suggests no combat heroics, he nonetheless mentions his service in Vietnam proudly.” (Los Angeles Times, 10/15/99)
Gore Had Bodyguards Assigned to Keep Him Out of Harm’s Way in Vietnam. “In Vietnam, Alan Leo, a photographer in the press brigade office where Gore worked as a reporter, said he was summoned by Brig. Gen. K.B. Cooper, the 20th Engineer Brigade’s Commander, who told Leo that he, Cooper, ‘had a great amount of respect for the senator.’ He asked Leo, the most experienced member of the press unit, to make sure that nothing happened to Gore. ‘He requested that “Gore not get into situations that were dangerous,’” said Leo, who did what he could to carry out Cooper’s directive. He described his half-dozen or so trips into the field with Gore as situations where ‘I could have worn a tuxedo.’” (Newsweek, 12/6/99) |
