USA: SENATE PROBE INTO CAMPAIGN FUNDRAISING LOOKS AT DEMOCRATS

Описание: (9 Jul 1997) English/Nat

The US Senate's campaign money probe is taking a close look at Democratic party fundraising today.

They're questioning the party's former finance director, who says he wasn't aware of illegal fund-raising activity during the hectic campaign year of 1996.

But Republicans are pressing Sullivan on his access to former party fundraiser John Huang, and Asian businessman James Riady.

Both are linked to charges of pumping millions of dollars of illegal foreign funds into the Clinton campaign.

The Senate's Government Affairs panel took its first testimony Wednesday in its second day of hearings on campaign fundraising activity.

And it was the boyish Richard Sullivan who fielded questions about his role as the Democratic National Committee's (D-N-C) finance director.

Sullivan told the panel he knew of no fund-raising irregularities while in his role at the DNC.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"I was never, and I emphasise never, confronted at the time with any evidence or suggestion of wilful misconduct, foreign government influence, sale of office, contributions in violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act, or other legal problems of that kind."
SUPER CAPTION: Richard Sullivan, former DNC finance director.

Democrats sought to bring the point home with a line of direct questions from the party's senior member serving on the panel.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
Q: "Was there ever any communication or any, even a hint, from the president or vice president that we should include foreign money?"
A: "No"
Q: "Did the White House staff, any members of the White House staff, ever give any hint that they thought we should go for foreign money?"
A: "No".
Q: "Was there ever any discussion at the Democratic National Committee that Mr. Huang was gonna be on board now so we could go for this kind of foreign money?"
A: "No."
SUPER CAPTIONS: Q. Senator John Glenn, Democrat, Ohio, A. Richard Sullivan

But panel chairman Fred Thompson made it clear they were interested, nonetheless, in Sullivan's contact with the Democratic party's most controversial fund-raiser, John Huang.

Huang raised nearly half of the 3 (m) million dollars in foreign-linked or suspect donations that have been returned by the DNC since the election.

He was the head of US operations for the Indonesian-based Lippo financial group.

Republicans probed Sullivan on his knowledge of contacts between John Huang and Asian billionaire businessman James Riady, who both met with top DNC officials and met with top Clinton aides at the White House.

Sullivan characterized his knowledge in general terms.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"I think... that my basic knowledge was that he had an association with the...he had some sort of association with the Lippo Group....and James Riady....That was basically the extent of my knowledge. I did not know great details about.....what all he did."
SUPER CAPTION: Richard Sullivan, former DNC finance director

Sullivan told the panel he insisted Huang receive training on the legalities of fund raising before he start as a Democratic vice-finance chairman.

The tone got tough when Republicans turned to questions on the purpose of White House coffee sessions.

In a tense exchange, Sullivan was pressed to admit that so-called "White House coffees" with President Clinton and guests led to thousands of dollars in campaign contributions.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
Q: "So the deputy finance director had decided in advance that the January 17th President of the United States coffee should raise 400,000 dollars worth of revenue, and it did. Correct?"





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