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| For Immediate Release | |
| May 11, 1999 | Contact: Press Office 202-646-5172 |
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Clinton Commerce Department Produces 59 Boxes of Documents Five Years Late And After Court Rulings Finding Government Misconduct JOHNNY CHUNG TO TESTIFY TO COURT ON THURSDAY, MAY 13, 1999 (May 11, 1999. Washington, D.C.) -- In recent testimony supervised by a Magistrate Judge, Judicial Watch has learned that the Clinton Administration not only failed to take adequate security measures on trade missions to China, as well as internally at Department headquarters in Washington, D.C., but also withheld from Judicial Watch the production of hundreds of thousands of documents for nearly five years. These revelations come in time for the testimony of Johnny Chung, who appeared on the China trade mission along with Charlie Trie and John Huang's colleagues and friends. Judicial Watch believes that national security was compromised on the China trade missions. During recent depositions of Jeffrey Garten and Jude Kearney, former Commerce Department officials who went on the China trade missions, they testified that no measures were taken to prevent Chinese intelligence from using the trade missions to make contacts with, or spy on, American businesses attending the events. In this regard, these officials knew of no U.S. counterintelligence who accompanied government officials and American businessmen on the trade missions. Further, Donald Forest, the Commerce official who heads the China desk, testified that following the revelations that John Huang received over 100 classified briefings, security procedures were not tightened up at the Department. To this day, anyone with a top secret clearance can walk out of the building with classified documents -- no questions asked. Indeed, this was the fear with regard to Mr. Huang's frequent visits across the street to Stephens Inc. when he worked for Commerce. Finally, last Friday evening, at the close of the weekly press cycle, the Clinton Administration notified Judicial Watch that it was producing 59 boxes of documents. These documents were originally requested in the fall of 1994, and are being produced pursuant to a "second search" of Department records ordered by the Court. "While Commerce claims that it is reproducing all requested documents, there is no need to do so, as only newly found records are what Judicial Watch and the Court seeks. Could the reason for this be that the Clinton Administration is producing hundreds of thousands of documents in order that it could bury a 'smoking gun' document, showing illegal conduct, in the 'haystack?'," stated Judicial Watch Chairman Larry Klayman. "Or, are all of the records newly produced?," he added. These are questions Judicial Watch will answer in the weeks ahead, as it unravels more and more of the Chinagate scandal. |
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