Mochtar Riady

The White House provided new evidence Monday acknowledging that Indonesian financier Mochtar Riady, whose family and employees have been major contributors to the Democratic Party, sought to influence President Clinton's policy in Asia. In a three-page letter dated March 9, 1993, Riady urged Clinton to normalize relations with Vietnam and to pursue expanded trade ties with the developing nations of Asia, including China, despite human rights abuses.

James T. Riady, a longtime Indonesian friend of President Clinton who heads the worldwide Lippo banking group, pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy related to illegal campaign contributions in the 1996 Democratic fund-raising scandal and during the previous eight years. Riady's felony plea agreement, combined with LippoBank California's plea to 86 misdemeanor charges, caps one of the longest-running investigations of the Justice Department's campaign finance task force.

For the last 18 months, they have faced a torrent of allegations, including illegally funneling foreign campaign contributions to support President Clinton's reelection and planting a mole in his administration to glean U.S. government secrets about China. Throughout, Indonesia's billionaire Riady family has remained mute. Until now.

For the last 18 months, they have faced a torrent of allegations, including illegally funneling foreign campaign contributions to support President Clinton's reelection and planting a mole in his administration to glean U.S. government secrets about China. Throughout, Indonesia's billionaire Riady family has remained mute. Until now.

James T. Riady, a longtime Indonesian friend of President Clinton who heads the worldwide Lippo banking group, pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy related to illegal campaign contributions in the 1996 Democratic fund-raising scandal and during the previous eight years. Riady's felony plea agreement, combined with LippoBank California's plea to 86 misdemeanor charges, caps one of the longest-running investigations of the Justice Department's campaign finance task force.

The White House on Tuesday released to Congress correspondence between President Clinton and John Huang showing that the former Democratic fund-raiser tried from the earliest days of the administration to get his Lippo Group bosses into the Oval Office. Less than three weeks after Clinton was sworn in, Huang sought to arrange a meeting between Huang's boss, Indonesian magnate Mochtar Riady, and the president.

James Riady, the Indonesian billionaire whose family controls the Lippo Group of financial companies, sold the group's California bank to Commercial Bank of San Francisco for $15.9 million in cash, both banks said Monday. Lippo Bank California, a trade finance and real estate business with about $87 million in assets, will combine with Commercial Bank, which has about $167 million in assets. The new company will be based in San Francisco, the banks said.

President Clinton said today that he thinks his administration should answer questions about contributions from wealthy Asians but compared his plight to the Atlanta security guard falsely accused in the Olympic bombing. "I think we should answer whatever questions are asked. I've told everybody else to do the same thing," Clinton said at a news conference kicking off his Asia trip.

The Democratic National Committee's handling of questions about $425,000 in political contributions from an Indonesian couple has been unsatisfactory. The source of the money remains murky and warrants further investigation. The case points once again to the weaknesses of the Federal Election Commission and the need for more stringent disclosure requirements. The contribution at issue involves Arief and Soraya Wiriadinata, legal U.S.

James Riady, son of one of Indonesia's wealthiest businessmen and a central figure in the growing series of questions about the Clinton administration's Asian fund-raising efforts, visited the White House at least 15 times, perhaps more, during President Clinton's tenure, White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry said Monday.

The White House provided new evidence Monday acknowledging that Indonesian financier Mochtar Riady, whose family and employees have been major contributors to the Democratic Party, sought to influence President Clinton's policy in Asia. In a three-page letter dated March 9, 1993, Riady urged Clinton to normalize relations with Vietnam and to pursue expanded trade ties with the developing nations of Asia, including China, despite human rights abuses.

Senate investigators trying to track down sources of foreign money in American political campaigns--a key element in the campaign finance controversy--have run into serious roadblocks, according to a confidential document obtained by The Times.

Newly elected Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) pledged Tuesday to cooperate with Democrats in the 105th Congress but immediately declared that the Republican-controlled body must first investigate allegations of illegal fund-raising by the Democratic Party.