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| For Immediate Release | |
| Oct 21, 1997 | Contact: Press Office 202-646-5172 |
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Partial Disclosure of Heavily Edited Tapes Subject to Federal Court's Order for Full Production Raises New Questions About Why Clinton Administration Fails to Obey Law The Reno/Clinton Justice Department, despite a federal judge's order for full disclosure, continues to stall the full release of videotapes, photographs, and audiotapes made by the Clinton Commerce Department with taxpayer funds in connection with foreign trade missions organized by Ron Brown. Judicial Watch, the non-profit watchdog group which discovered John Huang and cracked the campaign finance scandal, has produced overwhelming evidence that the trade missions, and other government offices and services, were sold by the Clinton Administration in return for campaign contributions. This is a violation of 18 U.S.C. 600 of the U.S. Criminal Code. Despite a commitment by the Reno Justice Department to produce at least thirty-one (31) videotapes, and associated "outtakes" which a federal judge had earlier ordered, the Clinton Administration failed to live up to an agreement to release all of the videotapes and outtakes, and continues to refuse to release to the public almost 5,000 photographs and an unspecified number of audiotapes connected to the activities of Ron Brown at the Clinton Commerce Department and elsewhere. Judicial Watch has also learned that other materials, including at least another sixty-seven (67) videotapes related to trade mission and other campaign fundraising activities of the late Secretary Brown, were removed illegally in 1997 from the Clinton Commerce Department and put in an alleged "Ron Brown Library,"a private institution on the campus of Howard University. The materials removed to the "Ron Brown Library" were also subject to a court order. Importantly, U.S. News and World Report and other news organizations have confirmed that there is no "Ron Brown Library" at Howard University. See U.S. News "Washington Whispers", September 8, 1997. Judicial Watch Chairman and General Counsel Larry Klayman noted that "In the case of the now infamous White House videos, which also depict campaign finance abuses, Attorney General Reno claimed that the Justice Department was not involved in obstructing the flow of information to the public. Here, that is obviously not the case, as her Department is now obviously involved in the cover-up." Judicial Watch will seek immediate court intervention to force release of all of the Ron Brown videotapes. |
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