Cable News Network ANCHOR: Carol Lin
CNN Early Edition
September 11, 2000HIGHLIGHT: As recently as last week, federal prosecutors were saying that Wen Ho Lee was a threat to national security and should not be allowed out of prison on probation. Steven Aftergood, director of the Federation of American Scientists Project on Government Secrecy, discusses the government's political motives in prosecuting Lee.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: As recently as last week, federal prosecutors were saying that Lee was a threat to national security and should not be allowed out of prison on probation. So what has changed prosecutors' minds?
Steven Aftergood is director of the Federation of American Scientists Project on Government Secrecy, a group that has been suspicious of the government's political motives in prosecuting Lee.
And we welcome you to EARLY EDITION, Mr. Aftergood.
STEVEN AFTERGOOD, FEDERATION OF AMERICAN SCIENTISTS: Thank you.
LIN: So what was your reaction to this deal?
AFTERGOOD: Well, it was an amazing reversal, as you noted. As recently as last week, the government was saying this man must stay in solitary confinement, he cannot even be released under extremely strict surveillance.
Today. the government is basically saying: Well, never mind. And I think this reflects an erosion of the government's case. The defense attorneys for Dr. Lee had poked some serious holes in the prosecution's case, and I think that is what has driven us to this point.
LIN: Well, as part of this agreement, they are going to have an opportunity to question Dr. Lee about what exactly happened to the downloaded tapes. Do you think, in terms of national security, anything is to be gained by this discussion?
AFTERGOOD: Well, it's important to track down the ultimate fate of this information. It is sensitive information, even if it is not the crown jewels of the nuclear weapons program. So it is important to track it down.
And because Dr. Lee did violate the rules, he probably did deserve to lose his security clearance and even his job. However, he never deserved to spend nine months in jail, which unfortunately is what happened.
LIN: Do you think that Wen Ho Lee is ever going to have an opportunity to clear his name? AFTERGOOD: It will be very difficult to do because his name has been bandied about in the media. It has been leaked by the government for so long now, and he has been accused of such heinous crimes. Government witnesses literally said that tens of millions of people could die as the result of his actions. It's hard to know what to say to that other than it's wrong and it's outrageous.
LIN: So, Mr. Aftergood, then what is the fallout, if any, for other scientists working with nuclear weapons and similar information?
AFTERGOOD: Well, the government, I think, has suffered a serious blow to its credibility. It is hard to take at face value the government's claims about the sensitivity of particular pieces of information. Even their witnesses have acknowledged misleading a federal court.
So all of this leaves the government scientists under a cloud, wondering whether they could perhaps be next. And I think all of us need to understand better what happened here and how it can be prevented from happening again.
LIN: All right, Steven Aftergood, thanks so much for joining us. Wen Ho Lee could be released as soon as tomorrow.