I'd like to respond to your article in the March 19 Daily Lobo about New Mexico Democratic primary candidate Bill Richardson's visit to the UNM Health Sciences Center.
The Daily Lobo failed to mention that Richardson is but one of three democratic gubernatorial candidates who are running in the June 4 primary election. The two other democratic primary candidates, Gary King and Ray Powell, Jr., are both UNM alumni.
The article also states that "Richardson's stint at the Department of Energy was marred by the failed prosecution of Los Alamos nuclear scientist Wen Ho Lee on espionage charges that killed chances at a possible vice presidential bid." I contend that Richardson was ill-advised to pursue a conviction of Lee for his own political gain at a time when the Clinton-Gore administration was in the hot seat for receiving Chinese campaign contributions.
Hopefully Daily Lobo reporter Iliana Lim¢n has read Wen Ho Lee's book, "My Country Versus Me." I urge all readers to read the book, which is the story of a man victimized by a government because of his ethnic background and his name falsely convicted in the press. Dr. Lee's book describes his life in the United States, loyalty to Los Alamos Labs and full cooperation with the FBI. All charges were thrown out but one that he was financially coerced into pleading guilty to. There is broad-based support for the pardon of Dr. Lee from his lone guilty plea after enduring nine months of solitary confinement and repeated bail denial.
One only needs to watch Richardson's uncomfortable response to the question "Did you extend to Wen Ho Lee every constitutional right during this investigation?" in a TV interview on "60 Minutes" to question his role.
Further, the March 17 edition of the Albuquerque Journal quoted Richardson as saying, "Our polling shows that the Wen Ho Lee issue is not a problem. But I am sure my opposition in the general will raise it and we'll have to deal with it accordingly. I make no apologies for any actions I took."
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Richardson gave a $10,00 bonus to Notra Trulock III, the counter-intelligence director of the Department of Energy for the investigation of Lee. Then the wheels fell off: on Aug. 24, 1999, Energy Department sources say President Bill Clinton personally ordered Secretary Bill Richardson to "get rid of" Notra Trulock, the department's deputy director of intelligence because his findings had embarrassed the White House.
At his release from custody, Judge James Parker said to Dr. Lee, "I believe you were terribly wronged by being held in custody pretrial in the Santa Fe County Detention Center under demeaning, unnecessarily punitive conditions.
I am truly sorry that I was led by our executive branch of government to order your detention last December."
Richardson's actions, such as scapegoating and leaking to the press, against Lee - what do these say about Richardson's character or lack thereof? I urge all Democrat voters to check out the very qualified other governor candidates who don't have allegations of past mistakes.
Jeff Potter
Research scientist at the UNM Cancer Center
