Former U.S. official 'spied for Lippo'<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON (AFP): The key figure in a Democratic Party
\ncampaign fundraising controversy committed economic espionage and
\npassed classified information to Indonesia's Lippo Group, a U.S.
\ncongressman said Thursday.<\/p>\n
In a tersely written statement, Republican Representative
\nGerald Solomon said he had \"received reports from government
\nsources that say there are electronic intercepts which provide
\nevidence confirming what I suspected all along.\"<\/p>\n
The reports, he said, confirmed that \"John Huang committed
\neconomic espionage and breached our national security by passing
\nclassified information to his former employer, the Lippo Group.\"
\nSolomon's statement concluded by saying: \"I can't go any farther
\nthan that. \"<\/p>\n
Huang, a former Commerce Department official, raised US$3
\nmillion for the Democratic Party and President Bill Clinton's
\nreelection campaign, much of which has come under question.<\/p>\n
A congressional panel is investigating Huang for his
\nconnection to questionable donations, some from foreign
\ncontributors, and the party has returned about half the money he
\nraised.<\/p>\n
Solomon's office also provided a copy of a letter he wrote to
\nFBI Director Louis Freeh in which he said Huang \"apparently\" had
\naccess to State Department message traffic through a Commerce
\nDepartment computer network.<\/p>\n
Solomon asked Freeh if there was a \"damage assessment\" under
\nway to determine if U.S. national security was compromised.<\/p>\n
NBC News has reported that U.S. intelligence agencies told a
\nSenate panel the evidence against Huang was picked up by a U.S.
\nelectronics eavesdropping site targeted on trans-Pacific
\ncommunications.<\/p>\n
As deputy assistant secretary for international economic
\npolicy, Huang enjoyed top security clearance while maintaining
\nclose contact with the Lippo Group. He kept the security
\nclearance even after leaving the Commerce Department to raise
\ncampaign money for the Democratic Party.<\/p>\n
A Senate panel will begin hearings on shady fundraising
\ntactics for the 1996 election campaign next month, the chair of
\nthe governmental affairs committee announced.<\/p>\n
\"We will, I assure you, get at the truth -- perhaps not all of
\nit, but enough for the public to understand what has happened in
\nour government,\" said committee chair Fred Thompson.<\/p>\n
Thompson said the committee had sent out 160 subpoenas,
\nincluding 69 for bank documents or lists of telephone calls,
\neight to government agencies and 31 to Buddhist groups and monks.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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