DATE=9/14/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=CLINTON - WEN HO LEE (L)
NUMBER=2-266566
BYLINE=DEBORAH TATE
DATELINE=WHITE HOUSE
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: President Clinton is clarifying his comments
about the handling of the case of Wen Ho Lee, the
scientist accused of mishandling classified data at
the Los Alamos nuclear weapons laboratory. While Mr.
Clinton says he still has questions about why Lee was
denied bail during his nine-month imprisonment, his
primary concern is over U-S national security issues.
Correspondent Deborah Tate reports from the White
House.
Text: For a second day in a row, Mr. Clinton
expressed concerns that federal prosecutors had denied
bail for Wen Ho Lee, who was released from prison
Wednesday after being held in solitary confinement
since his arrest in December.
/// Clinton Act ///
The narrow thing I want to illustrate here is
that when the United States, whenever we hold
anyone in prison who cannot get bail, or is
interned for a long period of time before being
charged and convicted and sentenced, we need to
hit a very high threshold. That is the specific
thing we need to focus on. I think there ought
to be an analysis of whether or not that
threshold was crossed in light of the plea
bargain.
/// End Act ///
Lee, a Taiwanese-born naturalized U-S citizen,
admitted to one felony count of mishandling nuclear
secrets under a plea bargain and agreed to work with
U-S investigators. Fifty-eight other counts against
him were dropped.
Mr. Clinton says he will discuss handling of the case
with Attorney General Janet Reno, but says there is no
evidence Lee was denied bail because of this
ethnicity.
Still, the president says, his concerns about how the
government dealt with the case should not obscure the
seriousness of the crime committed. He underscored
that Lee admitted to downloading nuclear secrets from
a highly secure computer at Los Alamos to insecure
personal files.
/// Clinton Act ///
The American people should not be confused here,
that was a very serious offense, and we have to
try to reconstitute what was on the tapes. That
is the number one thing we have to do for
national security now.
/// End Act ///
On Thursday, Attorney General Reno defended the
government's handling of the case. (signed)
NEB/DAT/JP
15-Sep-2000 13:05 PM LOC (15-Sep-2000 1705 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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