From: "Barb Alford"
Date: Wed Apr 11, 2001 10:04pm
Subject: JUDICIAL WATCH TO PROBE BUSH CHINESE HOSTAGE APOLOGY

4/11/2001 Press Office
202-646-5172

JUDICIAL WATCH TO PROBE BUSH CHINESE HOSTAGE “APOLOGY”

Does Deal Include Secret U.S. Promise Not To Sell Key Arms to Democratic
Taiwan?

Freedom of Information Act Requests Will Seek Documentation

(Washington, D.C.) Judicial Watch, the non-partisan public interest law firm

that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, said today that it
will launch an investigation of the deal between the United States and
Communist China for release of the 24 servicemen that had been held hostage
for the last ten days. Judicial Watch shares the joy of all Americans that
the hostages will finally come home, but will probe the Bush
Administration’s handling of the crisis. To that end, Judicial Watch today
is filing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with the appropriate
government agencies, such as the State Department and the Pentagon, on the
China hostage crisis.

“We are happy our young people are coming home,” stated Judicial Watch
Chairman and General Counsel Larry Klayman, “but Judicial Watch also wants
to see if the price for their release are backroom deals not to sell
defensive weapons such as AEGIS cruisers to our steadfast ally Taiwan.”

“The omens in this regard are not good, as today the United States has
inappropriately and wrongly apologized for our plane making an emergency
landing on Chinese territory ‘without permission’ and will now ‘discuss’
with Communist China the activities of U.S. reconnaissance flights in
international waters. The Bush Administration has caved publicly to the
Chinese communists and we aim to find out if any secret promises were made
to the ‘Butchers of Beijing’ behind closed doors,” stated Judicial Watch
President Tom Fitton.