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 For Immediate Release
Dec 18, 1997 Contact: Press Office
202-646-5172


NEW EVIDENCE REVEALS WHY THOMPSON COMMITTEE SHUT DOWN WITHOUT EXPLORING SALE OF CLINTON TRADE MISSION SEATS TO DONORS

Entergy Corporation, a Large Clinton Donor Which Put Together Joint Venture With Lippo and Communist Chinese Government on Ron Brown Trade Mission, Also Big Donor To Republicans

TRADE MISSIONS CONTINUE TO BE KEY TO CAMPAIGN FINANCE SCANDAL

Larry Klayman, Chairman and General Counsel of Judicial Watch, the group that sued the Clinton Commerce Department over its illegal sale of seats on foreign trade missions in exchange for political contributions to the Clinton-Gore Campaign and the Democratic National Committee, and which deposed John Huang, sparking the current scandal, today issued the following statement:
"USA Today has just revealed that Entergy Corporation, a large Arkansas and Louisiana based energy company, which participated on several Commerce Department trade missions, and was a joint venture partner with John Huang's Lippo Group and the Communist Chinese government during a trade mission to China in 1994, is also a large Republican donor. In an article today, Jill Lawrence reports that Entergy got special favors from Haley Barbour in exchange for large campaign contributions.

The sale of seats on multi-million dollar trade missions by the Clinton Administration, where taxpayer funds were used to help big donors such as Entergy obtain billion dollar overseas business, is a violation of the U.S. criminal code at 18 U.S.C. 600. Along with rides on Air Force One, overnight stays in the White House, meetings with Clinton Administration officials, and other influence peddling, the trade missions are the biggest ticket item that was sold by the Democrats for campaign contributions. They are also where U.S. national security interests may have been compromised, and are thus the key to unraveling the full extent of the scandal.

The revelation by USA Today that Entergy, which is at the core of the scandal, got favors from Republicans in exchange for campaign contributions, provides one small example why Senator Thompson shut down his hearings, claiming disingenuously that he was 'out of witnesses.' Certainly, Mr. Lupberger, the CEO of Entergy who gave to Republicans and benefitted from the Clinton trade missions, is available to testify, as just one example."

Judicial Watch continues its case against the Clinton Commerce Department, and strongly condemns Senator Thompson for not leveling with the American people. Contrary to Senator Thompson, Judicial Watch sees many witnesses to depose in its case, including the continued deposition of John Huang and the deposition of Mickey Kantor, among many others.



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