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House Issues 29 New Fund-Raising Subpoenas

Committee targets Democratic fund-raisers and contributors

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, March 28) -- The House committee probing questionable Democratic campaign contributions has issued 29 new subpoenas for records of phone calls and banking transactions made by controversial Democratic fund-raiser John Huang, and four other Asian contributors.

The House Government Reform and Oversight Committee's latest request for telephone and bank records brings its subpoena total in the fund-raising investigation to 60.

The four other contributors targeted in the subpoenas were Asian businessman Charlie Trie, Thai businesswoman Pauline Kanchanalak, California businessman Johnny Chung and John H.K. Lee. The records of former DNC Deputy Executive Director Robert Watson are also being sought.

The Democratic National Committee has already determined that $3 million of its funds, raised largely by Huang or Trie, were illegal or questionable and has promised to return the money. The DNC has also returned contributions from Kanchanalak, Lee and Chung.

Congressional and Justice Department investigators are trying to determine whether China illegally funneled campaign money to Democratic coffers to help influence U.S. elections.

The House subpoenas arrive on the heels of nine others issued by the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee also investigating campaign fund-raising. The Senate subpoenas were directed at organizations and individuals related to the controversy including former Associate Attorney General Webster Hubbell and the Clinton Birthplace Foundation, Inc.

The House committee's chairman, Dan Burton (R-Ind.), has been buffeted by allegations he pressured Democratic lobbyist Mark Siegel for political donations. Burton has vehemently denied threatening Siegel, but a federal grand jury will hear Siegel's testimony next week.