Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, the 1996 elections were marked by many questionable financial tactics in fund-raising for political purposes, but I think the one that must concern us is the vast amounts of illegal donations by foreign contributors. The American people learned of the antics of those such as John Huang, Charlie Trie, and Johnny Chung, all of whom helped funnel illegal foreign funds into the American political process in 1996. So far, Trie, Chung and five others have been indicted for their roles. Current law prohibits foreign nationals from donating to candidates for Federal office, yet it is clear that the penalties are not adequate to deter violations of this nature. This is, I think, made even more difficult by the location of the wrongdoers: outside of American soil. This means that penalties for this particular type of violation must be strengthened, and that is what my amendment does. It increases the maximum penalty from $25,000 to $1 million, and it increases the maximum jail time up to 10 years, at the discretion of the judge.”