Al Gore dodges questions about Chinese intelligence connection

Human Events, Mar 13, 1998 by Chapman, Michael

Veep and Chinese Official Caught on Tape

The Vice President's office last week refused to respond to questions about Al Gore's fundraising-related contacts with Chinese Communist Party member Shen Jueren, despite repeated inquiries by HUMAN EVENTS.

Shen is chairman of China Resources Holding Co., a Chinese government-owned conglomerate that reportedly engages in intelligence-gathering and is 50/50 partners with the Lippo Group in the Hong Kong Chinese Bank and shares myriad business interests with other Lippo enterprises.

Meanwhile, Gore's former chief of staff Jack Quinn, has given contradictory statements about his own contact with Shell. Former Democratic fundraiser and Lippo Group executive John Huang is pleading the 5th Amendment. And longtime Gore fundraiser Maria Hsia (who like Huang has taken the 5th Amendment) has been identified by the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee as a "Chinese agent" as she awaits trial following a Justice Department indictment for money laundering.

What's the story with Gore and Shen?

As one Senate source told HUMAN EVENTS, "If the Vice President did not meet with Shen. then why doesn't his office produce his schedule of meetings and release the Secret Service Workers and Visitors Entrance System (WAVES) records on who met with him? They could prove the Veep didn't meet with Shen. Their reluctance to release the records tells us something."

So does an audiotape recorded at a reception and reviewed by this reporter in which a man with a clear Asian accent introduces himself to Gore, saying, ". . . Shen, we met, just last Friday, in your office." Gore answers, "Yes, of course, we just spoke."

As HUMAN EVENTS reported Aug. 1, 1997, Huang escorted Shen and his assistant "Miss Liang" to the office of Jack Quinn on Friday, Sept. 24, 1993. They met for an undisclosed period of time, and the substance of their discussion is not known. However, in an Oct. 7, 1993, follow-up letter to Quinn, Huang thanked Quinn for the meeting and said: "We fully believe that relationship can be built and nourished through frequent contacts by high-level people. We thank you for taking the same view."

The previous day, September 23, Huang had written out two $15,000 checks to the Democratic National Committee (DNC). These checks, reports the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, were "drawn against accounts at Lippo Bank held in the name of two U.S. subsidiaries of James Riady's Lippo Group, for which Huang still worked." The subsidiaries were Hip Hing Holdings, Ltd., and Toy Center Holdings of CA, Inc., both of which were in the red financially.

Those campaign contributions were illegal, reports the committee, because they "actually came from Lippo accounts overseas."

Then on Monday, Sept. 27, 1993, Huang wrote out another $15,000 check for the DNC-also illegal-on the account of a third Lippo subsidiary, San Jose Holdings, Inc.

That same day, Gore attended a reception in an office building at 100 Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica, Calif. The reception was attended by Shen, Huang, Hsia and a small group of other Asian-Americans. Huang gave some opening remarks and then Gore engaged in "basically a policy talk," a senate source told HUMAN EVENTS. "People asked questions and Gore responded-mostly about Asian-- American concerns."

In his Sept. 15, 1997, deposition, Quinn said he recalled the "fairly unpleasant" event as taking place "in a law firm conference room" that was "standing room only."

A White House Communications Agency audiotape of the event was obtained by the committee, and a private firm in New York analyzed, enhanced and transcribed the tape. In the beginning of the tape, several Asian-accented voices are heard amid some background noise, and then Gore enters the room. Gore clearly says, "Hi, how are you," and several Asian-accented voices answer, "Hello."

Then a man with an Asian-accent says, ". . . Shen. We met just last Friday in your office:" To which Gore replies, "Yes, of course, we just spoke." The man replies, "Yes."

The New York firm transcribed that exchange as, "Jueren Shen. We met just last Friday in your office" The committee's final report, however, states, "The individual's name is not clearly intelligible, but prior to this brief conversation a word that may be 'Shen' can be heard being spoken in the background of the audiotape."

Quinn Can't Keep Story Straight

Despite this apparent uncertainty, there is no refuting the fact that Shen was at the White House meeting with Gore's chief of staff that "last Friday," September 24-and that since then Quinn can't seem to keep his story straight.

On July 21, 1997, the Commercial Appeal in Tennessee reported that "Gore spokesman Ginny Terzano said Quinn doesn't recall the meeting" that occurred on Sept. 24, 1993. In his deposition, Quinn said, under oath, "Again, in all honesty, I'll tell you I don't have a recollection of the September 24th event in my office."

But after the committee's report was leaked to the press several weeks ago, the Commercial Appeal reported Quinn as saying that a Shen-Gore office meeting did not occur: "'Sloppy work,' fumes Gore's former chief of staff, Jack Quinn, who says he, not Gore, met with Shen."