House Fund-Raising Testimony Delayed
WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, Sep. 16) -- Just as House hearings on campaign fund-raising abuses were set to begin Wednesday, the proceedings have been delayed as the committee's lead witnesses refuse to testify without a grant of immunity.
The witnesses, who include the sister and a friend of former Democratic fund-raiser Charlie Trie, unexpectedly requested immunity from the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee.
The requests forced Wednesday's opening session to be postponed, a move one chagrined GOP member of the panel categorized as "an embarrassment, like Keystone cops." Another called it "a colossal [expletive deleted]."
From the beginning of its probe, the House panel has been racked with controversy. Chairman Dan Burton (R-Ind.) repeatedly has been accused of being a Republican hardliner out to get the president.
Democrats are scathing. "The House investigation has been very partisan and in complete disarray for the nine months it's been in existence," Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) said.
The delay represents a huge setback for Burton's committee. No testimony will be heard from these witnesses for weeks or months to come, if ever.
Committee Democrats, who have been shut out of many key decisions, will now play a crucial role since a two-thirds vote of the committee is required to grant immunity to a witness. Six Democrats would have to support Burton for immunity to be approved.
Attorney General Janet Reno also has the power to delay any congressional grant of immunity for weeks or months if she feels these witnesses should be prosecuted.
With the schedule in disarray, Wednesday's hearing, which was to feature opening statements from all 45 committee members, is likely to be called off, and Thursday's hearing could turn into a housekeeping meeting to discuss immunity issues.
The initial focus of the hearings was to be on the activities of two principal figures in the campaign finance controversy, John Huang and Charlie Trie, and charges they laundered campaign contributions.
The first scheduled witnesses now seeking immunity were Trie's sister Manlin Foung; Joseph Landon, another friend of Trie; and David Wang, a California contributor to the Democrats.
The immunity requests were a surprise to committee members because the prospective witnesses are not suspected of wrongdoing. But lawyers for the three worried that their testimony might reveal technical violations of campaign finance laws.
In Other News:
Tuesday Sept. 16, 1997
• Coffee Attendee Says Huang Made Pitch For Funds
• House Fund-Raising Hearings Delayed
• Clinton To Announce His Tobacco Pact Changes Wednesday
• Republicans Focus On IRS Reform
• Clinton Marks CIA's 50th Anniversary
• Interest Groups Spent A Bundle On '96 Campaign Ads
E-mail From Washington:
• Reno Shakes Up Justice Probe
• Whitman Spending Millions In Re-election Bid
• Immunity Requests Could Delay House Hearings