Documents, testimony and FBI interviews raise questions about Gore's deposition

Human Events, Oct 6, 2000 by Jeffrey, Terence P

In a deposition taken last April, Vice President Al Gore claimed under oath that ht could not remember having any contact with convicted felon John Huang, the former Democratic National Committee fundraiser, at any time between 1989 and 1995.

A large body of publicly available evidence, however, suggests that Gore met with Huang on as many as three occasions in 1993. This evidence casts doubt on the truthfulness of the Vice President's deposition testimony and would seem to warrant further investigation.

In a sequence of events borne out by nowpublic documents and sworn testimony, Gore and Commerce Secretary Ron Brown met a Chinese official named Shen Jueren, chairman of Chinese-government-owned China Resources, in the White House on Friday, Sept. 24, 1993, where he had been escorted by John Huang. On the following Monday, Sept. 27, 1993, Gore flew to Los Angeles for two fundraisers arranged by John Huang and attended by Shen, at which Huang made contributions to the Democratic National Committee that were funded by the Indonesian-based Lippo Group.

In remarks at the Sept. 27, 1993, dinner-remarks that were recorded by the White House Communications Agency and released by the House Government Reform Committee-Gore specifically cites Huang as a longtime friend and praises him for the assistance he has provided to the Democratic Party. At another, smaller event earlier that day in Santa Monica, according to Huang's FBI interviews, Huang personally introduced Shen to Gore.

Also on the public record is a 1998 New York Daily News story that says, "Gore is accusing Senate GOP campaign investigators of making up facts to tie him to the Chinese government." The story refers to a tape in the possession of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee that Senate investigators believe captures Gore and Shen talking briefly to one another at the Santa Monica meeting arranged by Huang.

In July, Robert Conrad, director of the Justice Department's Campaign Financing Task Force, recommended to 'Atty. Gen. Janet Reno that she appoint an outside counsel to investigate Gore for committing perjury in his April deposition.

On August 23, Reno announced that she would not name an outside counsel. In her statement, however, Reno dealt with the issue of whether Gore may have committed perjury on questions related to White House fundraising coffees and the nowfamous 1996 event at the Hsi Lai Buddhist temple, but she does not mention any question of possible perjury related to Gore's contacts with Huang.

The House Government Reform Committee subpoenaed Reno to produce Conrad's memorandum and all other Justice Department documents created in 2000 discussing the recommendation of an outside counsel to investigate Gore. Reno has declined to comply with the subpoena, which carried an August 31 deadline.

Several Republican members of Congress interviewed in the past two weeks (see coverbox story) say they are willing to vote for a contempt of Congress citation against the attorney general if she continues to stonewall the subpoena.

Unless Reno releases Conrad's memo, it will be impossible to know if Conrad examined the contrasts between the investigative record and Gore's testimony on Huang in the context of his recommendation that a special counsel investigate Gore for perjury.

Here is a comparison of the Vice President's testimony on his contacts with Huang and the rest of the public record:

1. Gore met Huang on a 1989 trip to Taiwan that was designed specifically for Gore to develop fundraising contacts. Gore testified as follows in his April 18, 2000, deposition:

Conrad: "Was the first time that you met John Huang on the trip to-"

Gore: "Yes:'

Conrad: "-Taiwan in 1989."

Gore: "Yes:'

conrad: "Between-"

Gore: "And his wife Jane, was there also."

Conrad: "Did you spend much time with John Huang on that trip?"

Gore: "Yes."

The trip was designed to develop fundraising contacts:

Conrad: "So, as I understand it, your motivation for going on the trip was both to do a favor for the DSCC [Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee] and to cultivate a relationship with a group of people that you were going overseas with?"

Gore: "That's correct."

Conrad: ". . . . After that trip, did Ms. Hsia host any fundraisers for you in the balance of that year?"

Gore: "Yes."

Conrad: ". . . Do you recall how much money that fundraiser made for you?'

Gore: "My memory is that it was something like $20,000. I remember thinking at the time that it was a little out of keeping with the high expectations I had for this dynamic new group chomping at the bit to be active participants in the political process, but I was grateful nonetheless, although I recounted the many hours to and from Los Angeles, and couldn't help but add in the many hours to and from Taiwan."

2. Gore testified he could not remember any contacts with John Huang between the 1989 trip to Taiwan and a September 1995 fundraiser. First, Gore testified that he had no "involvement" with Huang between the 1989 trip and 1992. Conrad: "Between 1989 and 1992, did you have any involvement with John Huang?" Gore: "Not to my knowledge."