Refresher for some and a newsflash for those not old enough to remember….
Bill Clintons DNC loved them some Chineseum campaign contributions too.
Unfolding Story Swelling Like a Sponge
By Anne Farris
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, April 6, 1997; Page A16
The story of the Democratic Party's seemingly bottomless fund-raising troubles emerged innocently enough with a September article in the Los Angeles Times about a questionable donation to President Clinton's reelection effort. Since then – through a series of White House, congressional and news media disclosures – the story has swelled steadily, with almost weekly revelations of questionable campaign donations, repeated calls for the appointment of an independent counsel and allegations that the Chinese government attempted to funnel nearly $2 million to U.S. political campaigns. Here are key elements of the campaign finance controversy:
The China Connection
In early October, national newspapers first mentioned a White House connection with Mochtar and James Riady, who head the $12 billion Indonesia-based Lippo conglomerate, and John Huang, once the top Lippo executive in the United States. The Lippo-Clinton connection began to emerge as a campaign issue following reports that company associates and Riady family members contributed nearly $1 million to the Democratic Party, some of which appeared to have come from foreign sources in violation of U.S. election laws.
At the center of the controversy was Huang. He had raised campaign money for Bill Clinton in 1992 and was appointed to a midlevel position at the Commerce Department after the election, then moved on last year to a fund-raising job at the Democratic National Committee. As the DNC's point-man for soliciting campaign funds from the Asian American community, Huang raised some $3 million, most of which has now been refunded by the DNC because it came from questionable or illegal sources. Huang has denied acting illegally or improperly in his fund-raising duties.
Clinton's friendship with Huang and the Riadys goes back to his days as governor in Arkansas, where Lippo had banking interests. In Washington, Huang and the Riadys visited the Clintons and White House staff on numerous occasions. Huang and James Riady mentioned to Clinton the need for improved U.S. relations with China.
In February, the Washington Post reported that a special Justice Department task force examining fund-raising activities during last year's campaigns is investigating whether the Chinese government succeeded in directing foreign contributions to the Democratic Party. Last year, the FBI warned six members of Congress that they had been targeted by China to receive illegal campaign contributions funneled through foreign companies. Senior Chinese government officials have categorically denied interfering in U.S. elections.
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