WASHINGTON — John Huang, one of the central figures in the Democratic funny-money scandal, is set to testify publicly for the first time today before a congressional committee.
It’s unclear what Huang will say because the House Government Reform Committee has made the unusual decision not to interview Huang before his appearance.
The committee expects Huang to testify through tomorrow.
Huang was a top executive for the Indonesian-based Lippo Group — a multibillion-dollar conglomerate headed by President Clinton’s pal James Riady that dealt extensively with the Chinese government.
While at Lippo, records show, Huang raised thousands of dollars for the Democrats.
Huang then went to work as a trade official for the Commerce Department, where he received 37 classified briefings, saw numerous classified documents from the CIA and State Department and frequently used a fax machine in a private office across the street owned by a private company.
Records show Huang had more than 400 contacts with Lippo and Lippo-related individuals while he was at Commerce — and that he visited the White House, where Clinton knew him on a first-name basis, 71 times.
In late 1995, Huang went to work as a fund-raiser for the Democratic National Committee, where he raised more than $3 million, of which $1.6 million had to be returned because it was suspected of being illegal.
In a plea bargain last August with the Justice Department, Huang pleaded guilty to defrauding the Federal Election Commission. He was sentenced to a year’s probation, fined $10,000 and ordered to complete 500 hours of community service.
The deal also included his testimony before the House Government Reform Committee.