Data Bases • Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism? Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - Economics Trie apologizes to Clinton over fundraising scandal Trie apologizes to Clinton over fundraising scandal Trie apologizes to Clinton over fund-raising scandal WASHINGTON (AP)-- Former Democratic fund-raiser Charlie Trie, agreeing to tell his story publicly for the first time, says he's sorry for the trouble he caused his longtime friend, Bill Clinton. "I ... would like to apologize for any harm I caused President Clinton," the former Little Rock, Arkansas, restaurant owner said in remarks prepared for delivery Wednesday to the House Government Reform Committee. "Let me say ... that all of my mistakes were of my own doing and not encouraged by President Clinton or anyone else." In his prepared testimony -- a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press -- Trie described how he parlayed his long-standing acquaintance with Clinton into overseas business contacts that brought hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal campaign contributions into the United States. Trie's appearance long has been sought by the committee's chairman, Rep. Dan Burton, R-Indiana, who spearheaded the House investigation into fund-raising abuses by the 1996 Clinton-Gore campaign. "We want to know about his contacts with the Chinese government and about the origins of the large amounts of foreign money that he funneled" to the Democratic Party," Burton said. Trie denied that he spied for the Chinese government, an assertion he called "the biggest lie that has been told about me throughout this investigation." "I have never committed any form of espionage," he said. Trie brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal donations when he became partners with wealthy Macau businessmen such as Ng Lap Seng, also known as Woo, and Jakarta telecommunications magnate Tomy Winata. Winata, who wanted a private meeting with Clinton, sent Trie $200,000 in travelers checks, some of it ending up as donations to the Democratic Party. When Clinton friend Richard Mays told Trie that a $100,000 contribution to a fund-raiser would get him two seats at the president's table and another entire table for several guests, "Woo either wire transferred or brought the money to the U.S.," said an FBI interview summary of Trie released by Burton's committee a month ago. "It occurred to Trie that people at the DNC might start to wonder where he was getting his money. Knowing it was not his money, Trie felt uncomfortable," the FBI summary said. "He started giving friends cash in return for their checks to the DNC." Alternately defiant and contrite, Trie in his prepared remarks said that "at no time ... did I want or attempt to obtain anything improper for the interests of others. He and his business associates "just wanted to go to events with important people and to get the opportunity to have our pictures taken with the president of the United States." Trie outlined his involvement in White House coffees with Clinton that resulted in millions of dollars flowing to the Democratic Party. The White House has always maintained the events weren't fund-raisers, but Trie said, "It was ... well known that it cost $50,000 to attend a coffee." Trie said he paid $50,000 to get businessman Winston Wang into a coffee, with Trie asserting he was reimbursed later by three wire transfers from associates of Wang. Trie described his role in bringing a Chinese arms dealer to another White House coffee, saying Trie's business partner at the time "was ... excited about the prospect of doing business" in areas other than arms. "In my mind" the arms dealer's company "was the General Electric of China," said Trie. According to the FBI interview summary of Trie, his fund-raising got off to a shaky start. When Clinton, then the Arkansas governor, told Trie he was going to run for president, Trie phoned the Taiwanese consulate and the Chinese Embassy to spread the word. "Because of the negative FBI and CIA attention this call generated, Trie avoided becoming politically involved at that time in spite of his pro-Clinton enthusiasm," the FBI interview summary said. Trie is serving a four-month home detention sentence after pleading guilty to violating campaign finance laws. Bibliography: For more stories from CNN.com, click here. Word Count: 666
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