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- NEW YORK - A NewsMax.com/Zogby
International poll finds that two-thirds of Americans want Congress to
consider a second round of impeachment proceedings against Bill Clinton
for possibly swapping United States military secrets to China in exchange
for campaign cash.
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- Americans overwhelmingly indicated they are seriously
concerned that President Clinton may have authorized the sale and transfer
of nuclear and ballistic missile technology to China. The national survey
of 1,005 registered voters was conducted by NewsMax.com/Zogby last week.
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- The NewsMax.com/Zogby poll comes on the heels of a CNN/USA
Today/Gallup poll released last week that found that 50 percent of Americans
now approve of Congress, impeachment of Clinton in December of 1998 after
the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
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- Americans apparently take the China allegations more
seriously.
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- Since 1996, federal law enforcement and congressional
sources have claimed that large amounts of money " some estimates
place the amount as high as $10 million " were funneled from Chinese
government sources to help the Democratic National Committee fund Bill
Clinton,s re-election campaign in 1996.
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- Nearly 10 percent of Americans surveyed said the allegations
were serious enough that Congress should immediately convene impeachment
hearings against the President.
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- Another 56 percent of Americans said Congress should
begin a preliminary investigation to decide if impeachment is warranted.
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- In 1998, the House of Representatives impeached the President.
He avoided removal from office when the Senate decided not to convict him
after a brief trial in 1999.
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- Support for a fresh look at a possible Chinagate impeachment
inquiry, however, enjoys broad support from Democrats, Republicans and
Independent voters. African-American voters, considered among the president,s
staunchest supporters, also backed the popular impeachment examination
by 63 percent.
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- Concerns about the President,s treatment of China and
military transfers to the communist country have simmered for several years.
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- In 1996, the New York Times reported that U.S. defense
contractors Hughes Electronics and Loral Space & Communications assisted
China in developing and improving the launch capabilities of their ballistic
missiles. After a grand-jury investigation was convened to investigate
Loral,s transfer of classified technology to China, President Clinton moved
to authorize the transfer of such technology.
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- Since 1993, the chairman of Loral, Bernard Schwartz,
donated more than $1 million to the DNC, making Schwartz the committee,s
largest donor.
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- The Clinton administration has also moved to issue more
than 350 waivers, largely beginning in 1996, to transfer American supercomputers
to China. Previous to Clinton,s authorizations, China had received few
clearances because the computers could be used to develop advanced nuclear
weaponry.
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- Recently, ABC News reported that the Clinton administration
authorized the sale of an ultra-high-speed IBM computer the network claimed
would enable China to develop its nuclear-carrying ballistic missiles.
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- President Clinton has made technology transfers of previously
classified technology a priority. Early in Clinton,s first term, administration
officials changed the screening process for technology transfers, moving
the approval process away from the State and Defense Departments to the
Commerce Department. The move was said to have increased the flow of technology
transfers to China.
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- Chinagate figure John Huang, who had been a major Clinton
fund-raiser, also served in the Commerce Department. Congressional investigators
believed Huang served as an agent of China, using ties through his previous
employer, the Riady family of Indonesia.
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- NEWSMAX.COM/ZOGBY POLL
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- Question: Allegations have risen that Bill Clinton traded
U.S. nuclear and ballistic missile technology to the Chinese for campaign
contributions. Should Congress convene impeachment hearings against President
Bill Clinton over these allegations or should there be a preliminary investigation
to see if there is a reason to start impeachment proceedings, or should
Congress do nothing? Congress should:
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- 1. Convene impeachment proceedings " 10 percent
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- 2. Begin a preliminary investigation for impeachment
" 56 percent
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- 3. Do nothing " 30 percent
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- 4. Not sure " 4 percent.
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