Richardson Campaign Press Release - Campaign Statement on Strengthened Security at the Department of Energy

The Richardson campaign today issued the following statement as a follow up to a question posed during today's Democratic Presidential Candidate Debate in Iowa:

Governor Bill Richardson inherited a number of tough security and intelligence problems when Bill Clinton appointed him as Secretary of Energy. When informed of the problems, he took unprecedented action to increase security at America's national laboratories. In fact, many of the measures that he implemented to improve security at the Department of Energy (DOE) still are being utilized today. He appointed a security czar, greatly increased both funding and personnel committed to the office of counterintelligence, instituted polygraph exam policies for DOE personnel, reinstituted background checks for foreign visitors to the labs, and implemented several other security protocols emphasizing information control in the labs.

Wen Ho Lee

The investigation of Wen Ho Lee was conducted by the FBI and began long before Bill Richardson became Secretary of the DOE. But Secretary Richardson shared the concern about him because he:

• Downloaded an enormous amount of nuclear weapons code material; and
• Had improper contacts with the Chinese government that he did not disclose to investigators.

It is clear he was a security risk.

When Secretary Richardson became aware of the harsh conditions of Wen Ho Lee's incarceration, he protested to the Justice Department. While the concern about possible espionage was warranted, the circumstances of his incarceration were not warranted in any way.

Secretary Richardson fired Wen Ho Lee because the security of our nuclear facilities is paramount, and he clearly had violated a number of security regulations.

Bill Richardson is extremely proud of his record as Secretary of Energy.