Friday, February 27 --- New York (APJP) -- Flash back to American Politics Journal, May 13, 1997:
Mr. Barbour put together something called the National Policy Forum (NPF) in 1993. Barbour called NPF a "think tank" and compared it to the Heritage Foundation as late as this weekend. But the NPF was anything but a think tank and got its money from big corporate contributors, including several foreign sources, by promising their executives a role in GOP policy development.
The big sucker in Barbour's game was a Hong Kong businessman called Ambrous Tung Young. Young loaned Barbour's Forum millions, through bank guarantees, which Barbour then turned over to the RNC for campaign purposes. It appears that Young knew the money wouldn't be used to "explore policy alternatives" in the traditional think-tank style, but rather would be used to influence U.S. elections.
And we hear the fat lady warming up.
The Justice Department is close to a decision on whether they will indict Haley Barbour, and it looks like a lead-pipe cinch. The DOJ has nailed down a preliminary prosecution memorandum laying out their case for charging Barbour (and possibly other figures in the RNC) with nothing less than laundering cash through a Chinese bank.
Barbour left a paper trail, describing the NPF in one letter as a "subsidiary" of the RNC and in another letter as a means of raising foreign money, and also went abroad to "raise" money for the NPF.
Barbour demonstrated a lot of savvy as head of the RNC in many areas, but his openly flagrant behavior with regard to the NPF is laughable. How could he have not set off alarm bells?
The NPF operation and Ambrous Young's involvement make any alleged wrongdoing by Yah Lin "Charlie" Trie in relation to Democrat fundraising look like very small potatoes, though most people wouldn't know with the way the "liberal" press has been tripping over themselves to make Trie look like some kind of big-time influence peddler.
This may be only the first of Barbour's troubles… and the fat lady hasn't even finished warming up.
Barbour may find himself in further hot water over a scheme to launder nearly five million dollars through "Americans for Tax Reform" with help from Grover Norquist, the organization's big cheese, for a phoney-baloney "advocacy" mailing. It's illegal for political parties to coordinate this kind of activity.
Barbour claims there was no wrongdoing.
Problem is, there's a very detailed evidence trail that says otherwise.
And you can be sure the Justice Department is moving deliberately but inexorably toward dealing with the situation… a mess which might also involve Newt Gingrich and other GOP figures.
The fat lady just got backstage, Haley.
And tonight's program should provide at least two acts of boffo beltway entertainment.
Search American Politics Provided by Hot Bot | Searchfor |
Copyright © AMERICAN POLITICS JOURNAL INC. 1996-1998 Reader Services Post Office Box 0409, Navesink, NJ 07716 FAX: 908.872.7604