FEINSTEIN INSISTS WARNING FROM FBI WAS INADEQUATE.Byline: Michael Doyle
Michael W. Doyle (born 1948) is an international relations scholar whose most influential work is Empires, an analysis of imperialism. Scripps-McClatchy Western Service WASHINGTON - FBI warnings in summer about possibly illegal Chinese campaign contributions were so ambiguous as to be useless, Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein (born June 22, 1933) is the senior U.S. Senator from California, having held office as a senator since 1992. She is a member of the Democratic Party. said Sunday. In an unusual afternoon news conference at Dulles International Airport, Feinstein said she'll ask FBI Director Louis Freeh today why his agents offered her and other lawmakers only vague warnings about possible Chinese influence-buying efforts. She said the FBI owed her more details about the alleged Chinese effort than was provided in a briefing that lasted only about 10 minutes. ``They were not specific how this would happen, where it would be done, when it would be done,'' Feinstein said, adding later, ``it was very vague, it was very general.'' Feinstein's Democratic colleague Barbara Boxer Barbara Levy Boxer (born November 11, 1940) is an American politician and the current junior U.S. Senator from the State of California. A member of the Democratic Party, Boxer was first elected to the U.S. also received an FBI briefing about the alleged Chinese scheme, ABC News
ABC News is a division of American television and radio network ABC, owned by The Walt Disney Company. Its current president is David Westin. reported Sunday. Boxer's spokesman could not be reached by the Sacramento Bee to comment Sunday night Sunday Night, later named Michelob Presents Night Music, was an NBC late-night television show which aired for two seasons between 1988 and 1990 as a showcase for jazz and eclectic musical artists. . The classified FBI briefing in Feinstein's Senate office on June 14, first reported Sunday in the Washington Post, offered little additional protection for Feinstein's fund-raising apparatus. With her fund-raising database spanning 300,000 names, and having raised $14 million for her last re-election, Feinstein potentially has a lot of flanks to cover. ``If somebody is going to falsely provide contributions, that is, laundering them, how are you going to know?'' Feinstein asked. ``Does this mean I check every Asian name? I find that repugnant REPUGNANT. That which is contrary to something else; a repugnant condition is one contrary to the contract itself; as, if I grant you a house and lot in fee, upon condition that you shall not aliens, the condition is repugnant and void. Bac. Ab. Conditions, L. .'' According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the Post account, FBI officials warned Feinstein and five other members of Congress that intelligence officials ``have reason to believe that the government of China may try to make contributions to members of Congress through Asian donors.'' ABC News reported later that China established a $1.8 million fund to influence U.S. elections and that as many as 30 members of Congress were warned they might be approached to receive illicit contributions. Feinstein said she never saw any evidence that illegal Chinese contributions were laundered into her campaign. Following the FBI briefing, though, she did stop collecting contributions from foreign citizens. Last fall, that led to her campaign returning seven of 25 checks collected at a small fund-raiser targeting the Asian-American community. ``I thought, just to be safe, I'd give it back,'' Feinstein said. Congressional Republicans said Sunday they'd press to find out what the White House knew about the alleged Chinese efforts. But former White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta, interviewed on NBC's ``Meet the Press,'' said neither he nor President Clinton was advised of the FBI probe. ``Obviously this is something that the Justice Department is investigating,'' Panetta said. ``Congress ought to investigate, because clearly this kind of thing should not have happened.'' China has many reasons to influence U.S. policy-making pol·i·cy·mak·ing or pol·i·cy-mak·ing n. High-level development of policy, especially official government policy. adj. Of, relating to, or involving the making of high-level policy: . The annual congressional fight over extending most favored nation Most Favored Nation A privilege granted by one country to another whereby the products of the privileged country pay the lowest delivered duty paid charged by the granting country. trading status is one. Feinstein has long been on record as supporting strong trading ties with China, going back to her days as San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden mayor when she established a sister city relationship with Shanghai. She has visited China a number of times, and her husband, Richard Blum, has business ventures in China and Taiwan. ``I'm not a newcomer to China,'' Feinstein said. Two House and Senate committees are already charged with investigating alleged illegal fund-raising during last year's presidential campaign. So far, the committee investigations have been stalled by partisan fighting. Uneasy lawmakers from both parties have also blocked the panels from putting a spotlight on the congressional fund-raising practices that last year raked rake 1 n. 1. A long-handled implement with a row of projecting teeth at its head, used especially to gather leaves or to loosen or smooth earth. 2. A device that resembles such an implement. v. in a record $659 million. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Sen. Dianne Feinstein Alerted to Chinese scheme |
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