Thompson Announces Witnesses for Hearing on DOJ’s Handling of Trie Case

Washington, DC ? Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Fred Thompson (R-TN) today announced the witness list for the full Committee?s oversight hearing on the Justice Department?s handling of the Yah Lin “Charlie” Trie case on Wednesday, September 22, 1999 at 10:00am in 628 Dirksen Office Building.

Witness Panel I

During the 1996 presidential campaign, Charlie Trie contributed $220,000 to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and $789,000 to the Presidential Legal Expense Trust. Most of this money was not Trie?s; much of it was from sources in Macau, Hong Kong and the People?s Republic of China.

In March 1997, at the start of its campaign finance investigation, the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee issued a subpoena to Charlie Trie for documents important to the Committee?s investigation. In June, just before the Committee?s hearings began, the FBI learned that Trie?s assistant was destroying documents that agents believed should have been produced under that subpoena. DOJ attorneys, however, rejected the FBI?s request to conduct a search of Trie?s office for the purpose of stopping this destruction of evidence. The FBI was not permitted to conduct its requested search until October 23, 1997, by which point the Committee?s hearings were about to end.

“The Committee wants to know whether Justice officials stood by while Charlie Trie destroyed documents we subpoenaed,” said Chairman Thompson.

Throughout 1997, Attorney General Reno promised that her campaign finance investigation would “get to the bottom of the allegations” of campaign finance abuses. She stated publicly that she was “personally monitoring it closely and regularly.” And she assured the American people “that the career professionals in the Department will investigate this matter in a fashion that will satisfy the American people that justice has been done.” Wednesday?s hearing will examine whether this was the case.

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