Congressman: Tape Shows Gore Illegal Fundraising

— -- A Republican congressman is claiming that a 1995 videotape showing Vice President Al Gore talking politics with an Indonesian man who made illegal contributions isevidence of improper fund-raising activities.

ABCNEWS.comJuly 19— Rep. Dan Burton is calling on the Justice Department to review a videotape of a 1995 White House coffee gathering that he claims is evidence of improper fund-raising practices by Vice President Al Gore.

Burton, the chairman of the House Committee on Government Reform, sent a letter to Attorney General Janet Reno on Tuesday urging Justice Department officials to review the tape.

The Indiana Republican claims it shows Gore discussing political ads with Arief Wiriadinata, an Indonesian citizen who was found to have made more than $400,000 in illegal donations to the Democratic Party.

Burton told The New York Times the vice president can be heard off-camera in the videotape telling Wiriadinata, “We ought to show Mr. Riady the tapes, some of the ad tapes.”

James T. Riady is an Indonesian businessman whose contributions to the Democrats are still under investigation.

“It would indeed be extraordinary for the vice president to suggest showing political issue advertisements to an Indonesian billionaire who lives in Jakarta, Indonesia,” Burton wrote to Reno.

So-called soft-money contributions of the kind made by Riady were used to fund a Democratic National Committee “issue ad” blitz aimed at bolstering Gore and President Clinton’s bid for re-election in 1996. Soft-money donations are to be used for general party purposes, not for any one candidate.

Riady is alleged to have donated money originating from overseas, a violation of U.S. campaign finance law.

“Did Mr. Gore know anything about Mr. Riady’s campaign contributions and how they related to the issue advertisement campaign?” Burton asked in the letter.

‘Impossible to Tell,’ Says Gore Aide