Confusion Over Name Adds to White House Donation Dispute

Trying to quell the growing controversy over foreign-linked political donations, the White House disclosed Friday that there were two people named John Huang visiting the White House--and that only one of them was a Democratic fund-raiser.

White House spokesman Barry Toiv identified the second man with the same name as being involved in Vice President Al Gore’s review of government agencies, which was designed to improve their efficiency.

The disclosure came as aides to President Clinton missed a second House deadline for providing Congress with information on Huang, who pulled in an estimated $4 million to $5 million in Democratic contributions from Asian Americans this year.

The House Government Reform and Oversight Committee chairman had set a noon EST Friday deadline for presidential aides to reveal with whom the Democratic fund-raiser met in dozens of White House visits this year.

But as of early evening, White House officials, while telling reporters such a list exists, had not responded to the request by Rep. William F. Clinger Jr. (R-Pa.).

Separately, White House Counsel Jack Quinn wrote to the House International Relations Committee that he would be unable to supply documents immediately on Huang’s ties to a wealthy Indonesian family that has contributed heavily to Clinton’s campaign.

The deadline set for that disclosure was Tuesday, but the committee did not reveal that the White House missed it until Friday.

Toiv said “a number” of the 65 White House visits this year by a man listed on newly disclosed Secret Service logs as John Huang were by someone other than the Democratic fund-raiser.

CBS Radio interviewed a man who said he was the second John Huang and that he had been to the White House 12 to 24 times last year and this year. He said he was with the Internal Revenue Service and had been on loan for Gore’s review.

The Secret Service records show that Huang was a far more frequent White House visitor than the Clinton administration has said. Previously, the administration has said only that Huang met with Clinton on a few occasions, without mentioning visits with other people at the White House.

In the past 15 months, the name John Huang is listed 78 times as visiting the White House.