THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release September 18, 2000
PRESS BRIEFING
BY
JOE LOCKHART
The James S. Brady Briefing Room
11:06 A.M. EDT
Q Has the President talked to Janet Reno yet about the Wen Ho
Lee case, or has he scheduled that meeting?
MR. LOCKHART: I have no information on -- I don't believe he's
spoken to her. I don't know when they'll have a chance to talk, but I
expect that will happen.
Q Do you think it will be this week?
MR. LOCKHART: I don't know. I'll let you know when it happens.
Q On that subject, are White House officials taking a particular
message up to this meeting in New York today with various Asian
Americans to discuss the Wen Ho Lee case and their concern about the way
it was handled?
MR. LOCKHART: Not necessarily to that meeting. These are a series
of field hearings. This is the third field hearing. And it's mostly,
as you can tell by the makeup of the group, looking at Asian Americans,
Asian Pacific Americans and health issues that those Americans are
particularly concerned about. There's been some discussion within the
context of this organization about Wen Ho Lee and I'm certain, if it
comes up at the meeting today, there will be some discussion there. But
that's not the primary focus.
Q What meeting is that?
MR. LOCKHART: There's an Asian-American commission that is holding
discussions around the country -- they had one in Los Angeles, one I
think last week here in Washington, there's one scheduled in New York.
I think there was some suggestion in some reporting that they had put
this meeting together in order to deal with issues involving Wen Ho Lee.
That is not accurate. But to the extent it comes up in the discussions
there, I'm sure they, I'm sure they will entertain the questions.
Q Some of the folks who are participating in the field hearing
today are quoted as saying, or have been reported to have said that the
administration at the last field hearing in Los Angeles actively -- some
officials, unnamed -- actively encouraged them speaking out against the
Wen Ho Lee case.
MR. LOCKHART: I think that question was raised to the people who
run the commission, to the commissioners this morning at a press
conference, and they said that that was not the case.
Q Joe, what was the President's reaction to the fourth time, as
I understand it, that the Justice Department is investigating the Vice
President's fundraising?
MR. LOCKHART: His reaction to what?
Q Well, what was his reaction to it? I mean, how many Vice
Presidents have been investigated four times for questionable
fundraising?
MR. LOCKHART: I think there is an ongoing investigation at the
Justice Department, and because it's ongoing, it wouldn't be appropriate
to comment.
END 11:20 A.M. EDT
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