Bill Clinton Bald Faced Lie to the American People - #5474:
-- Grilling Energy Secretary Bill Richardson about Clinton's
denial.
Russert, with text of the May 2 New York Times story on-
screen: "In 1998, a report was sent to you and the Secretary of
Defense, Secretary of State, the FBI, the President, and let me
put it on our screen. This was in The New York Times last week. It
says: 'A secret report to top Clinton administration officials
last November warned that China posed an 'acute intelligence
threat' to the government's nuclear weapons laboratories, and that
computer systems at the labs were being constantly penetrated by
outsiders.' It goes on, and let me continue. 'Yet investigators
waited until March to search the computer of a scientist at Los
Alamos National Laboratory who had been under investigation for
nearly three years, suspected of spying for China. And it was not
until April that the Energy Department shut down its classified
computer systems to impose tighter security over their data.' If
you were warned in November of penetration, why would you wait
until April to close down the computers?"
Richardson replied: "Because that report is incorrect. I moved
immediately with $8 million in cybersecurity measures to push for
new firewalls on the computer, intrusion devices. We've moved
ahead with automated systems so that this would not happen
again. We had a very strong cybersecurity measure. Now, in April,
I completely shut down all the nuclear weapons computers. Now,
that is a Draconian, drastic step. That meant that for two weeks
we could not do any work on our nuclear weapons. We have
moved aggressively. We can stand for new suggestions and
improvements. We are not perfect...."
Unsatisfied, Russert continued to press: "But, again, it's the
President's word that is at stake. You heard Senator Kerrey say,
'The reaction' -- he's a Democrat -- 'The reaction was sloppy and
not particularly well-coordinated.' The report concluded, let me
put this on the screen, 'This effort has been successful and
Beijing's exploitation of U.S. national laboratories has
substantially aided its nuclear weapons program.'
"That was November of 1998. Our counterintelligence sending
that report to the President and to you, very specifically that
Beijing has benefitted. Now, let me show you what the President
was specifically asked in March, and find out, again, what
happened.
Question: 'Mr. President, can you assure the American
people that under your watch no valuable nuclear secrets were
lost?'
"President Clinton: 'Can I tell you there has been no
espionage at the labs since I've been President? I can tell you
that no one has reported to me that they suspect such a thing has
occurred.' And later in the news conference: 'To the best of my
knowledge, no one has said anything to me about any espionage
which occurred by the Chinese against the labs, during my
presidency.'
"Mr. Richardson, that's not true. In November of '98, you
received, the President received a report saying exactly something
contrary. Senator Kerrey, Senator Shelby of the Intelligence
Committee said they were aware and the President was aware. Why
would he tell the American people in March that he wasn't aware?">
Richardson: "Tim, what the President was referring to -- and I
was with him -- he was referring to this individual had not been
charged with espionage."
Russert: "That's not what he said. It's not what he said, Mr.
Richardson."
Richardson: "The President has been fully, fully briefed. The
President has been... (cut off)
Russert: "He said, 'Can I tell you that there's no espionage
at the lab since I've been President? I can tell you that no one
has reported to me they suspect such a thing. To the best of my
knowledge, no one has said anything to me about espionage.'"
Richardson: "Tim, it was the President..." (Cut off)
Russert: "...which occurred by the Chinese against the labs
during my presidency."
Richardson: "Tim, it was the President that vigorously pushed
for a decision memorandum, a PDD, in February. He set dramatic
counterintelligence measures at the labs. We moved ahead a month
later and hired Mr. Curran, the best counterintelligence
person."
Russert: "But let's clear up the record."
Richardson: "And when I came in, Tim, we have taken dramatic
steps."
Russert: "Right. Let's clear up the record. Let's clear up the
record. Did, in fact, espionage occur by the Chinese against the
nuclear labs during the Clinton presidency?"
Richardson: "Tim, this is what's happened."
Russert: "It's a simple question."
Richardson: "No, no, no, this is what happened."
Russert: "Was there Chinese espionage..." (Cut off)
Richardson: "There has been damaging security leaks, number
one."
Russert: "...during the Clinton administration?"
Richardson: "The Chinese did get W-88 information that is
damaging. It started in the '80s, it's gone into the '90s. The
Chinese have obtained damaging information. We are..."
Russert: "During the Clinton presidency?"
Richardson: "We are addressing the problem."
Russert: "During the Clinton presidency?"
Richardson: "During past administrations and present
administrations."
Russert: "Finally, someone has acknowledged it."
It's great tat Russert was so aggressive in getting this
acknowledgment, but it would be nice if NBC News would finally
report some of this on Today or Nightly News.
As documented in previous CyberAlerts, NBC News has avoided
the subject of Clinton's lie. When the April 28 New York Times ran
a story disclosing how Wen Ho Lee supposedly transferred the
legacy codes to an open computer, ABC's World News Tonight aired a
story and the CBS Evening News mentioned it, though neither
pointed out how the 1994-95 activity contradicted Clinton's claims
it all occurred in the 1980s. NBC's Today gave the story 15
seconds while Nightly News skipped it.
Four days later the front page of the New York Times featured
the story cited in detail by Russert. NBC's reaction: Zilch that
morning or since on Today, not a word on Nightly News that evening
or since. Only ABC's World News Tonight told viewers about it that
night, in a 40-second item that did not mention how the revelation
contradicted Clinton.
+++ See Russert grill Richardson. Late Monday morning ET the
MRC's Sean Henry and Kristina Sewell will post a video clip, in
RealPlayer format, of some the heated exchange between Russert and
Richardson. Go to: mrc.org
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