ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, October 19, 1996 TAG: 9610210066
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
SOURCE: Associated Press
The Democrats aren't the only ones collecting contributions from foreign nationals. Bob Dole and the Republicans have been the beneficiaries of donations from foreign-born U.S. residents as well.
Such wealthy businessmen as Indonesian James Riady and Cuban-born Pepe Fanjul have a history of helping Republicans as well as Democrats.
House Speaker Newt Gingrich accepted money from resident foreigners who attended a 1995 fund-raiser in California held by a leader of the American Sikh community.
And Gingrich's former political action committee, GOPAC, used receptions for U.S. businessmen at the Saudi and Russian embassies in 1990 for fund-raising drives to entertain donors. GOPAC didn't start identifying its contributors until 1994, and Democrats pounced on the secrecy Friday.
Stung themselves by GOP allegations, the Democratic Party said Friday it was removing a star fund-raiser from such work.
John Huang, who raised an estimated $4 million to $5 million for the Democrats from Asian-Americans this year, remains on the Democratic National Committee staff but ``has no current fund-raising assignments,'' said DNC spokeswoman Amy Weiss Tobe.
Huang, a former Commerce Department official, organized a fund-raiser at a Buddhist temple in California last spring. The DNC said Friday it was reimbursing the temple $15,000 for the cost of the event.
In addition to accepting contributions from foreign-born individuals, the Republican Party received more than $2.4 million from 16 U.S. subsidiaries of foreign companies in 1995 and 1996.
Foreigners who are legal U.S. residents are allowed to make campaign donations, as are U.S. subsidiaries of foreign companies if the money was earned in the United States.
Rep. Patricia Schroeder, D-Colo., sent a letter to five Republican committee chairman in the House saying, ``I'm sure the American public, as well as your House colleagues, would like to know the details of these secret fund-raising activities.'' Go ahead and investigate Democrats, Schroeder wrote, but pursue the Gingrich matter as well.
LENGTH: Short : 48 lines KEYWORDS: POLITICS PRESIDENTby CNB