BACKSTORY BOMBSHELL: DNC'S MCAULIFFE IN ON CHANG/TORRICELLI'S SOUTH KOREA INSURANCE DEAL

POLITICAL MONEY MONITOR ^ | 4/28/00

[Liz]

Big Donor Under House Arrest for 1996 Irregularities

David Chang, an international businessman, is one of the Democratic Party's biggest donors. He visited with President Bill Clinton at the White House on several occasions and claims to have eaten pizza with the President in South Korea. On April 13, David Chang was placed under 24-hour house arrest for allegedly coercing a former employee to lie about the methods in which he made campaign contributions.

Chang is a target of the U.S. Department of Justice's Campaign Financing Task Force. His house arrest stems from taped conversations made by federal investigators between fired Chang employee Chris Kim and Chang in which Kim was reportedly asked to lie to federal authorities about Chang's alleged laundering of $80,000 in South Korea. At the time, Chang was free on $500,000 bail after being charged with making illegal campaign contributions to Senator Robert Torricelli (D-NJ) in 1996.

A letter from the Justice Department released in mid-April states the government has evidence that Chang "received and/or solicited" help from Senator Torricelli on four matters. These matters are helping to unfreeze Chang's assets in North Korea, helping him purchase a South Korean insurance company, writing college recommendations for relatives and making introductions for him with foreign dignitaries.

Torricelli's office admits to helping try to unfreeze Chang's North Korean assets, but reports it was unsuccessful. Chang received bipartisan support in his attempt to buy the Korea Life Insurance Company as well as seeking Torricelli's assistance, but that also failed. On a trip to South Korea last September during negotiations on the sale, Chang was accompanied by President Clinton's chief fundraiser Terrence McAuliffe.

Regarding charges that Chang funneled $23,000 to Torricelli's 1996 Senate campaign, three people have already pled guilty to the illegal activity and one has fled the country. Chang passed money to members of the Bergen County (NJ) Democratic Party leadership which then reimbursed others for their donations to the Torricelli campaign.

Torricelli's initial response was to speculate that every member of Congress gets donations from such "straw donors," and that "people have to learn to take these laws seriously." He denies knowledge of any illegal contributions.

[Howlin]

No! I will not! I'll stay up late, but you cannot MAKE me watch them. I can barely stand to read their names! :-)

[Brytani]

Aside from writing my senators and the justice department over this, what would you suggest I do? Arrest him myself???

[Liz]

Does anybody remember the dirt on Daschle's ever-lobbying wife?

The NY Times reported that Mrs. Daschle, who works at Baker, Donelson Bearman & Caldwell, reported in Congressional lobbying records that her firm received almost $1.5 million last year from her clients, which included American Airlines, Northwest Airlines, the American Association of Airport Executives, the Cleveland airport, Boeing, Loral, United Technologies and L-3 International, one of the companies chosen by Congress to supply airports with bomb detection equipment.

“It is the smarminess and incestuousness that is most objectionable," said Charles Lewis, director of the Center for Public Integrity. "It blurs the distinction between the public and private sector when part of the family is in the private sector enriching themselves through the public sector."

Mrs. Daschle, who was a deputy administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration during the Clinton presidency. "When clients retain me, they don't retain me because I am Tom Daschle's wife."

Mrs Daschle oughta get real, if her husband wasn’t Senate majority leader, she’d be xeroing documents in the Senate mail-room.

[poet]

Hi Mud;

Is justice closing in
Will justice finally prevail
are we going to see him
where he belongs, in jail?

Will big daddy bubba
finally get his due,
forgive me, but, hubba, hubba ( Poetic license 8>) )
will he join his crooked crew?

Dare we speculate
that it's not too late
that he pays for his crimes
will we see it in our lifetimes?

Would that it be so
that we remove this moral decay
by sending these lowlifes
on their way

I'll say my Prayers,
giving thanks,
as we remove the layers
of corruption in their ranks

One by one,
when all is said and done,
I pray they fall,
convictings for all

To Mud, a vote of thanks,
for keeping this alive,
for adding to the ranks,
for your drive

there's much more I could say,
but, let these words suffice
to see them sent away,
How Nice!!

[Liz]

But Howlin, do what we all do, press the mute button until the stuff you want to hear is aired.

[Liz]

That's a good FReeper. Now you're talking.

[StarFan]

Here's the feed from the 5:00 p.m. news broadcast on NBC. The ll:00 p.m. broadcast was a bit more extensive, especially after trying to get a comment from the Torch only to hear his spokesman say "The senator will not dignify the accusations from a 'convicted felon' with a response". Listen here and cheer

[poet]

Duh! Another senior moment:

One by one,
when all is said and done,
I pray they fall,
convictings for all

Last line should read "convictions for all"

[Judith Anne]

Thank you Liz! I KNEW I remembered something like that...;-D

[Liz]

.........ping............

[StarFan]

That's the one I'm making reference to(NYC/NBC at 11:00) but I don't believe they devoted half an hour, although they covered quite a bit in the segment. I commend them for their thorough research which puts the Senate Ethics Committe to shame for the massive cover-up. When Dashole campaigned for the Torch in NJ, he was suggesting that voters overlook his past and consider the balance of the Senate when they cast their vote.

[Liz]

I'm really glad you pointed it out so all of us could benefit from the info.

[piasa]

buming this in case you haven't seen it

[Liz]

I refer to the NYC/NBC station that airs news at 5:00 PM - "Live At Five."

[StarFan]

Darn I wish I had seen it. I've got a portion of the clip in post #71. Apparently NBC news lead the fight to have the memo released. Unbelievable.

[Liz]

Actually the fight to get the memo released involved several top media outlets including the NY Times, another large media holding group and included some NJ newspapers as well.

[PRND21]

Bump

[Robert_Paulson2]

writing my senators and the justice department

that is a good starting place... and then spreading the information to family and friends...

every little bit helps... but trust me, it will be all over the place now, till we launch on iraq.

[gonzo]

"...That was true in the Feelgood-Clinton-Anything-Goes bubble years. It's a new day. What with corporate swindling, we are discovering the US does have laws..."

Not a chance, kiddo! McCauliffe should have been sharing a cell with Tortellini three years ago.

There isn't a dimes-worth of difference between the pubs and the dems now.

I got my tax-refund, bought a boat, and I'm heading for the Turks-and-Caicos islands. I'm goin' fishin'!

I'm done with their bullshit............FRegards

[StarFan]

Isn't it wonderful to think someone with ethics is working for NY Slimes. Apparently Sue Simmons forgot to mention that when boasting that NBC news lead the fight to get the memo released. BTW, would you mind if I pass this article along to O'Reilly, Drudge, Hannity and Newsmax?