NEWSWEEK: Cash and Kerry

Newsweek ^ | Feb. 9th issue | Michael Isikoff

[counterpunch]

Feb. 9 issue - John Kerry needed cash, and soon. In July 1996 the Massachusetts senator was locked in a tough re-election fight, so he was more than happy to help when he heard that a generous potential contributor wanted to visit his Capitol Hill office. The donor was Johnny Chung, a glad-handing Taiwanese-American entrepreneur. Chung brought along some friends, including a Hong Kong businesswoman named Liu Chaoying.

Told that Liu was interested in getting one of her companies listed on the U.S. Stock Exchange, Kerry's aides immediately faxed over a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The next day, Liu and Chung were ushered into a private briefing with a senior SEC official. Within weeks, Chung returned the favor: On Sept. 9 he threw Kerry a fund-raiser at a Beverly Hills hotel, raking in $10,000 for the senator's re-election campaign.

In a 30-year career untainted by scandal, Kerry's encounter with Chung and Liu would turn into a political embarrassment. Federal investigators later discovered that Liu was in fact a lieutenant colonel in China's People's Liberation Army and vice president of a Chinese-government-owned aerospace firm. And Chung, who visited the Clinton White House 49 times, went on to become a central figure in the foreign-money scandals of 1996. Chung eventually pleaded guilty to funneling $28,000 in illegal contributions to the campaigns of Bill Clinton and Kerry. According to bank records and Chung's congressional testimony, the contributions came out of $300,000 in overseas wire transfers sent on orders from the chief of Chinese military intelligence—and routed through a Hong Kong bank account controlled by Liu.

[Skywarner]

Just was IS it with the Dems and the Chinese!?!??!

[Miss Marple]

I agree with Old Friend. Newsweek is the Clinton magazine. They are trying to slow Kerry down, as they don't want to cede control to Kennedy.

Fascinating, isn't it?

[cyncooper]

I was torn...happy to see this report make the light of day, but considered the source and wondered what they were up to.

I agree with your analysis.

Frustrating that the clintons themselves are associated with Chung, but these things don't touch them...just those who orbit around them and get their paws caught in the cookie jar.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Johnny Chung... hmmmm, where have we heard that name before?

[Cicero]

Newsweak backs hillary. This article suggests that hillary will now be working full time to destroy Kerry before he gets a winning number of delegates.

Even if she doesn't run (and I think she will) Kerry is probably the Kennedy family candidate, and therefore unacceptable to the clintons. Dean would have been better, but they miscalculated how suddenly their Dean-bashing would bring down his numbers, after they refused to budge for so many weeks. But I'm sure the clintons would rather see Dean have the edge than Kerry.

[dangus]

Kerry promises them more work. >:^)

[the Real fifi]

Isikoff, however, can hardly be called a Clinton toady. He was the guy who broke the Monica story.

[OldFriend]

Reading the story in today's papers and the response from the Kerry camp...."oh, that's old news".....

Where have we heard that before!!!!

[OldFriend]

And they are blaming all the corporate corruption on this President.

[mewzilla]

Must be the Clintons asked them to run it.

Well, Newsweek never prints anything without permission...They're ever so reliable that way.

[Cincinatus]

Newsweak backs hillary. This article suggests that hillary will now be working full time to destroy Kerry before he gets a winning number of delegates.

As the Clintons are already tied at the hip to Johnny Chung and his gang of bagmen, how does a story which ties Kerry to Johnny help the Clintonistas?

[Dog]

I agree .....they will now bring Kerry down. We may end up with someone else as the nominee.

[mewzilla]

Drudge broke the story. Newsweek had been sitting on it.

[Dog]

Isikoff didn't break the Monica story....Drudge did ......after Newsweek spiked it.

The Newsweek ran with it.

[mewzilla]

How do you think Spikey got his nickname :) And this wasn't the first time...

[Dog]

This will be so much fun to watch. What we have brewing is the Clinton vs Kennedy vs Gore wings of the Democratic party locked in mortal combat.

If Hillary senses Bush can be beat she will jump in this year.....if that doesnt happen .....they will want a candidate to run against Bush who is flawed......we may see Dean resurface as the front runner.

[the Real fifi]

But it was Isikoff who dug it up. Are you suggesting he spiked his own story? How do you think Drudge got it? If not from Isikoff, it was from someone inside Newsweek who knew of it, is my guess.

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!

[mewzilla]

I'm suggesting his bosses spiked it, and Spikey let them :) And like I said, not for the first time. Only reason that the mag finally ran with it was word was getting out about their sitting on the story. And Drudge didn't get his info from Isikoff.

[NordP]

"Can't believe Newsweak published this story. I guess they want the 'Rats primaries to continue for awhile." Instead, I see a key word in this article....CLINTON.

I was wondering what tricks the Clintons would use to sabotage the elections for the Dems so Hitlery would have a clear shot in 08...

THIS is going to be interesting to watch...

You'd just think that ONE of these days, the Democratic Party would get upset at these two clowns, for all their sole self-interests...and wise up! (head shaking)