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Government Uncovered Freedom of Information Equals Freedom From Corruption Access to information is vital to Judicial Watch's efforts to hold politicians accountable for their actions. Following are excerpts of documents obtained by Judicial Watch through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) during the course of its Chinagate probe. Background During the 1990s, Chinese military operatives participated in a systematic campaign to buy access to the Clinton Administration in exchange for campaign contributions. Part of this overall scheme, which was uncovered by Judicial Watch, included the transfer of sensitive military technology by the Clinton Administration to the Chinese. Such technology had traditionally been under the strict control of the State and Defense Departments until 1996, when Clinton changed the rules and transferred jurisdiction to the Commerce Department, thus enabling Clinton, and then Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown, to trade technology for campaign dollars. One key transfer involved a radiation-hardened chip, which is designed to withstand the intense radiation of space and global thermonuclear warfare. Despite the fact that this piece of technology had clear military implications, these documents show Clinton approved a waiver and transfer. Key Excerpts: The U.S. maintains a variety of sanctions which limit, or potentially limit, U.S. trade with China. After the Tiananmen incident, the U.S. suspended a wide range of trade related to programs and activities in China pursuant to the provisions of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, FY 1990-91….Waivers may be granted upon a national interest determination. The President [Clinton] has approved a series of satellite related waivers in recent months, most recently in November, 1996 for the export of radiation hardened chip sets for Chinese meteorological satellite." - Federal Register, "U.S. Sanctions on China." Relevance: In the wake of the Tiananmen Square incident, and intelligence reports detailing the proliferation of weaponry from Chinese companies to enemies of the United States, protective measures were put into place to prevent the transfer and sale of military technology to China. In 1996, the Clinton Administration ignored this policy and the national security interests of the United States, and allowed the export of advanced radiation-hardened microchip technology, vital electronic components for military satellites and nuclear weapons, to China. As a result, the Pentagon and State Department now acknowledge that Chinese missiles are more accurately targeted on U.S. cities, endangering American citizens. These documents obtained by Judicial Watch prove that Bill Clinton put his own political interests ahead of the well-being of the American people. Judicial Watch's Chinagate investigation and resulting lawsuits continue.
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