Wen Ho Lee Documents to Be Made Public

Atty. Gen. Janet Reno, addressing a group of Asian American lawyers Saturday, again defended the Justice Department’s prosecution of fired nuclear scientist Wen Ho Lee and said she would move to declassify documents related to the case.

Reno told the National Asian Pacific American Bar Assn. that an internal review of the matter has been ordered. She did not specify what data may be made public.

Lee, 60, was initially an espionage suspect and the target of a federal investigation into how China may have obtained classified nuclear warhead blueprints. Prosecutors eventually charged him only with mishandling nuclear data, and he was jailed, in solitary confinement, for nine months.

His prosecution and its result--Lee was freed after pleading guilty to one count of a 59-count indictment--brought stinging criticism and allegations that Lee was singled out because of his nationality. Lee was born in Taiwan and is a naturalized U.S. citizen.

“I know that there may be decisions in this case that may have caused honest disagreement and fierce criticism,” Reno told the bar association. “I take your concerns very, very seriously.”