The Chinese Commie "Connection"?
by Jeff Koopersmith

Friday, February 28th, 1997 -- NEW YORK (koopersmith.com) -- Brian Duffy and Bob Woodward, two Washington Post reporters, write today of more Bejingesque influence on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Woodward, of Watergate fame, has done little formidable since the early 1970's, but seems to be groping for a new scandal to increase his book sales and perhaps, fortuitously, force the resignation of Bill Clinton.

Now Woodward and the Post have "expanded" the Chinese Communist "connection" to Capitol Hill -- although this latest article is sketchy at best, does not name names, and would fail most Journalism 101 scrutiny.

It's not as if I don't believe foreign governments don't try to influence Washington. They do -- and have for two centuries. Nearly every country has an embassy in the District and these buildings are full of spies, lobbyists and crowds of furtive, sinister characters.

Here's a clue: embassies are not here merely to serve travelers from their home countries -- they are here to gain trade advantages, encourage foreign aid packages and generally suck up to any American in a suit.

So extending this hijinx to campaign contributions is not surprising -- nor is the fact that foreign money has found its way into Congressional and presidential campaign coffers.

The real question is whether Congress and the White House fashion policy to please foreigners.

The FBI is investigating whether representatives of the People's Republic of China tried to purchase influence in Congress through illegal campaign contributions and payments from Chinese-controlled businessmen, federal officials told Woodward.

So what's new about that? So do the British and the French!

The Justice Department created a special task force to examine sub-rosa fundraising practices last year, including allegations of attempts by the Chinese to use their embassy on Connecticut Avenue NW for streaming contributions to the DNC.

Here's a quote from the Woodward article:

A witness who has been interviewed by FBI agents assigned to the task force said he was told that a focus of the Justice Department inquiry is to determine whether members of both parties in Congress had been improperly influenced by Chinese representatives who may have made illegal payments to them. Government officials said that the FBI had not yet identified specific members of Congress who may have received illegal or improper payments.

Huh? Here's the translation: somebody told us that the FBI put 25 guys on this matter because they have some unnamed fellow tell them that maybe the Chinese tried to pay off a few Congresspeople.

So, the "big" news is that the FBI may be looking at Congress, as well as the White House, in this scandal.

Am I getting old, or did you know that already?

Oh, by the way Woodward also lets us in on this hot news:

A spokesman for the embassy has stated that the allegations concerning improper fund-raising activities are "groundless."