"I Wish I'd Been Stronger" - Richardson Admits Some Errors in Handling of Wen Ho Lee Case

Although none of the candidates attacked each other, there were some sharp questions from the host Carolyn Washburn to each of the candidates, beginning with Senator Hillary Clinton.

Excerpt of Democratic debate in Iowa

That clip ended with New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson admitting he made some mistakes in the handling of the case of Wen Ho Lee. Lee is the U.S. nuclear scientist of Chinese descent who was falsely accused by the Clinton administration of spying for the Chinese government. As President Clinton’s energy secretary, Bill Richardson fired Wen Ho Lee. Lee was then arrested, indicted on 59 counts and threatened with execution. He was held for 278 days in solitary confinement. Within a year, the government dropped 58 of the 59 charges. A federal judge then ordered his release and, in an unusual statement from the bench, he rebuked the government and apologized to him. Last year, the government agreed to pay Wen Ho Lee nearly $900,000 dollars for violating his right to privacy by leaking information to the press.

When we interviewed Governor Richardson in September 2005, he was far less conciliatory about his handling of Lee’s case. I spoke with Governor Richardson at a studio in Santa Fe, New Mexico. At that time he said he “stands by everything he said and did” in this case.

Democracy Now! interview with Gov. Bill Richardson in Sept. 2005

Related Democracy Now! Stories

• Governor Richardson Says He “Stands By Everything He Said and Did” in the Case of Accused Los Alamos Scientist Wen Ho Lee. (9/22/2005)