China, satellites and bin Laden

Loral and Hughes shared their analysis of Chinese launch failures with China, which critics said could help China’s missiles. Loral’s chairman, Bernard Schwartz, was the largest individual donor to the Democratic Party in 1996. Clinton approved a waiver for another Loral satellite in February 1998. [1]

A Justice Department task-force memo reportedly found no evidence Schwartz corruptly influenced the waiver. Loral paid a $20 million civil settlement in 2002, and Hughes and Boeing $32 million in 2003. [1]

Former Sudanese officials claimed Sudan offered to hand bin Laden to the United States. Clinton officials denied receiving any such offer. The 9/11 Commission staff wrote: “We have not found any reliable evidence to support the Sudanese claim.” Sudan did offer to expel him to Saudi Arabia. [1]