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| For Immediate Release | |
| May 13, 1999 | Contact: Press Office 202-646-5172 |
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Gore Invited Him to LA Fundraising Event Campaign Finance Figure Had Contributions Returned by DNC, Yet Continues To Be Solicited By Gore and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chung Testifies In Judicial Watch Commerce/Chinagate Lawsuit Describes How Campaign Money Brought Access (Washington, May 13) Johnny Chung, a key Democratic fundraiser at the center of the Chinagate scandal, testified today that Vice President Gore recently mailed him an invitation to a fundraising event in Los Angeles, both at his home and office. Chung was also recently solicited by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Chung's testimony came in the ongoing Judicial Watch lawsuit against the Clinton Commerce Department over its sale of taxpayer-financed trade mission seats in exchange for campaign contributions. Chung was invited on a Commerce trade mission to China immediately after giving $11,000 to the Democrats in honor of Clinton's 48th birthday in August, 1994. An additional $133,000 in contributions were made by Chung within a few months after the China trade mission. Chung also testified that he told the FBI to investigate "their own people" at the Reno Justice Department, as he was made to understand that the "Number 3" at the Reno Justice Department was going to "fix" the investigation into his fundraising activities. Chung testified that, given his recent experiences, he was not happy to have received such solicitations from Gore, that "this [is] not the kind of mail" that he liked to receive, considering what he's gone through in the past two years. Chung said that shortly after his first contribution in 1994, he realized he and other Asian-Americans were being targeted for fundraising by the Democrats, and "that it never stopped." Chung also understood that his political contributions to Democratic causes helped buy him access to and favors from the President, Vice President, and First Lady and that he expected (and received) something back from government officials in return for his political contributions. Chung testified that a letter sent to him by Mrs. Clinton was very helpful in opening doors for his fax broadcast business and that he used the letter to solicit business from the U.S. Commerce Department for his business. Mr. Chung's deposition is set to be continued at a later date. |
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