No one seems to be writing opinion pieces quite the way I would, so I decided to do it myself.

The name? Taverns are places where one goes to discuss the interesting events and things in the world, so this is my tavern.

I will offer my views on politics, economics, and whatever else strikes my fancy.
I will occasionally publish the entire article from another journal for purposes of causing discussion.

 

The Republican-Red China Spy Connection

Josh Marshall points out that the spy connection to Red China runs through the Republican Party's fund raising apparatus.

Campaign role by spy suspect investigated "Leung, 49, is a Los Angeles businesswoman and Republican activist who became an FBI informant code-named "Parlor Maid" in 1982 and was paid $1.7 million for her information on China. At the same time, prosecutors allege, she was carrying on affairs with Smith and with a second FBI agent while feeding information obtained from Smith to Chinese intelligence agents.
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Joe Lieberman has asked that the Senate have hearings on the possibility that Communist Chinese money was funneled to the Republican Party, but Senator Orin Hatch, Chair of the Committee, rejected that saying that the committee already had too much to do. Lieberman Seeks Donations Probe Why? "The FBI apparently believes that Ms. Leung acted as a spy for the Chinese government, including during the period PRC officials apparently were trying to influence American political campaigns," Lieberman wrote. "The prospect of a foreign government illegally influencing our political campaigns is a truly troubling one, and any evidence that may have occurred must be vigilantly investigated and pursued," he said.

FBI officials have said investigators would revisit the earlier fundraising probe to see if Leung's ties to the bureau and the Chinese government may have impeded the search for wrongdoing. But FBI and Justice Department officials have not described any plan to pursue a full-fledged investigation of Leung's political activities, including her donations to Republicans "

Personally, I find the efforts to manipulate the US political process by a foreign government as a covert action to be extremely disturbing. Even more, I find the repeated failures of the FBI to be dangerous to the US. I objected to the effort by the Republicans to use the earlier investigation of campaign contributions from Red China as a tactical ploy against the Democrats, especially since they investigated ONLY contributions to the Democrats. This strongly suggests that to limit the investigation only to contributions to Democrats simply failed to objectively determine what was happening. As Josh Marshall said "For all the politics, the real issue here is the FBI and its series of disasters in the field of counter-intelligence. I suspect Louis Freeh's much blackened reputation will get several shades darker over this (security lapses he ascribed with no evidence to the Clinton White House now seem to have come from his own shop). But the problem is clearly institutional and not at all limited to his inglorious tenure. Ames, Hanssen, now this. "

By the way, why is the White House fighting to prevent any significant public investigation of the CIA, FBI and other intelligence agencies prior to 9/11? Clearly the FBI sufferers from a systematic problem. Ames, Hanssen, now this. Do you think that any of the other Intelligence agencies might also have similar problems? I do. So why does this administration want to cover them up? Do they think they go back to Reagan-Bush I?

Even if they did, they could spin that. The problems in the FBI go back to J. Edgar Hoover, who was appointed by a Republican in 1922. Or are the Republicans afraid of another destructive investigation like that of Senator Church in the 70's? The problems in the CIA are rather likely to go back to the Casey period under Reagan.

I'd like to see a public investigation of the Intelligence agencies that I can trust. At least one I can trust as much as the Warren commission. With this administration being so secretive, I don't expect it.

Since it IS so secretive, though, I have to keep asking - what are they trying to hide? Did THEY get Chinese money for their campaign?
posted by Richard at 2:48 PM