GOP Questions Gore-Russia Deal

Oct. 17 -- Republicans are questioning why Al Gore did not tell Congress about Russia’s nuclear dealings with Iran, after Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin informed the vice president about them in 1995.

Late this afternoon, John Czwartacki, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, told ABCNEWS the Senate was considering launching an investigation into the matter, after a December 1995 letter from Chernomyrdin to Gore on the subject was made public today in the Washington Times.

“Hearings are under active consideration and the subject of serious discussion,” Czwartacki said.

Another congressional aide told ABCNEWS that Capitol Hill Republicans are “planning to hold the administration’s feet to the fire for immediate answers. We want a high-level briefing immediately and if we don’t receive satisfactory answers, we will hold hearings to see if U.S. law was broken by the vice president.”

But Gore aides insist there is nothing suspicious about his dealings, and question the timing of the disclosure.

“It’s obvious that the motivation for this leak is political,” Gore spokesman Jim Kennedy told the Washington Times.

Kennedy added the letter was “part of the overall United States effort to encourage the Russians to break off or limit their nuclear relationship with Iran.”

Separate Issues at Stake

In the letter, Chernomyrdin told Gore about Russia’s confidential nuclear deal with Iran, but added that the information was “not to be conveyed to third parties, including the U.S. Congress.”

It is the second time in less than a week that dealings between Gore and Chernomyrdin have been made public.

On Friday, The New York Times reported that Gore made a separate 1995 arrangement with Chernomyrdin to let Russia continue selling conventional arms to Iran without sanction by the United States.

Under terms of that agreement, Russia pledged to stop sales to Iran by 1999. In return, the United States agreed not to pursue sanctions against Russia, although a 1992 law — originally co-sponsored by Gore, then a senator, and Sen. John McCain — calls for sanctions against countries dealing weapons to nations sponsoring terrorism.