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THOMAS DASCHLE

SOUTH DAKOTA

COMMITTEE

AGRICULTURE FINANCE INDIAN AFFAIRS VETERANS' AFFAIRS

(202) 224-2321 TOLL FREE 1-800-424-98094

January 8, 1993

It may be a tad embarrassing to admit to writing letters of reference for people one barely knows, but nevertheless, that's the position taken by Senate minority leader Tom Daschle's staff when it comes to his hearty recommendation of one John Huang to the Clinton transition team in 1993. "I have known John Huang for four years, having worked with him on a number of economic development projects," Daschle wrote to transition-team head Richard Riley. "I can personally attest to John's strong background in trade and Pacific Rim issues." Huang, who has become the symbol of shady Democratic fund raising, was then an executive with the Indonesia-based Lippo Group conglomerate, and interested in positions at Commerce, Treasury and the office of the U.S. Trade Representative. According to Daschle spokeswoman Ranit Schmelzer, the Senator says he doesn't remember how he met Huang, who became Deputy Assistant Secretary at Commerce, and has no recollection of any "economic development projects" the two of them collaborated on. But Huang did arrange an April 1991 fund-raising lunch in Los Angeles for the Senator. Daschle has returned the roughly $3,000 raised at that lunch from Huang and his wife Jane; James Riady, who was Huang's boss at Lippo; Maria Hsia, who would later co-chair the infamous 1996 Buddhist-temple fund raiser attended by Al Gore; and several others. Daschle was not alone in recommending Huang: the businessman was also tipped for a job in a recently released 1992 Democratic National Committee memo.

--By Viveca Novak