Todd Tiahrt: “According to press accounts, the Pentagon issued a classified report in May of 1997 about the Loral-led review…”

“According to press accounts, the Pentagon issued a classified report in May of 1997 about the Loral-led review commission's unauthorized release to China of its report on Communist China's latest rocket crash. The report concluded that the United States national security has been harmed. Let me repeat that. The report concluded that the United States national security has been harmed. The White House claims otherwise but offers no explanation, nothing at all. In February of this year, despite intense opposition from his own Justice Department, President Clinton gave permission to Loral to transfer highly sensitive missile information, particularly with respect to encryption, to the Communist Chinese government. Reportedly, the Chinese could use this information to perfect their missile and rocket programs. This was allowed despite an ongoing criminal investigation of Loral for earlier transfers of missile technology to Communist China. This leaves many unanswered questions such as, how deeply was U.S. national security harmed? Did the campaign contributions to Loral and the Chinese government affect the decision? And why does the President insist that this decision was in the best interest of the American people?”