Government Reform and Oversight Committee NEWS RELEASE April 22, 1998 For Immediate Release Contact: Ashley Williams 202-225-5074 BURTON COMMITTEE TO SEEK IMMUNITY FOR FIVE WITNESSES IN FOREIGN MONEY PROBE WASHINGTON In exchange for testifying truthfully, five men and women involved in the campaign finance scandal, will be considered for immunity from prosecution by a House investigative committee. Chairman Dan Burton (R-Ind.) of the Government Reform and Oversight Committee said today that he will present the question of witness immunity at tomorrow's scheduled meeting of the Committee (9:30 a.m., April 23, 2154 Rayburn). The five are: The Justice Department has informed the Burton Committee it does not oppose immunity grants for Wu, Lee, Wong and La. It has yet to respond regarding Bradley. "To date, 89 people have taken the Fifth or fled the country, rather than responding to Committee investigators," said Chairman Burton. "This makes our job of getting to the truth very difficult. During one of our December hearings, FBI Director Freeh said the only other time he'd experienced anything similar to our situation in his many years of law enforcement was during his time investigating organized crime in New York. I think that clearly illustrates the brick wall problem we face." Federal law provides that a court can compel a witness to testify under immunity when a Congressional Committee requests such an order after a two-thirds vote of the Committee's members and notice to the Justice Department. ### |
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