AG (202) 616-2777WWW.USDOJ.GOV
TDD (202) 514-1888
STATEMENT OF ATTORNEY GENERAL JANET RENO WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Attorney General Janet Reno today issued the following statement:
"As Director Freeh and I will testify before Congress next week, our case against Dr. Wen Ho Lee was critical for national security. Dr. Lee downloaded nuclear secrets onto unsecured computer tapes and offered no explanation as to why. The United States had an obligation to find out what happened to the information on those tapes.
"That is why the debriefing of Dr. Lee is our first order of business.
"My concern is that the American people understand what we did in this critical national security matter. The Department will work with the other agencies to release as much material related to the investigation, prosecution and detention of Wen Ho Lee as possible, consistent with national security, the Privacy Act and our law enforcement responsibilities.
"Dedicated lawyers and investigators worked very hard on this case. I want to be as open as possible about the work they did, as well as about the decisions I made.
"To that end, and consistent with our normal practice following criticism by a court, I have asked our Office of Professional Responsibility to review the matter so that the public can have confidence in the justice system."
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