washingtonpost.com: Campaign Finance Key Players--The Riady Family

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Campaign Finance Key Players:
The Riady Family

This profile was compiled from Washington Post and washingtonpost.com staff reports. Click on linked names to read other profiles, or see the full list of key players.

Headed by Mochtar Riady, this wealthy Indonesian family controls the Lippo Group -- a giant Indonesian banking and real estate conglomerate.

From The Post:
• The Riadys' Persistent Pursuit of Influence, May 27, 1997
• Hubbell Meetings With Riady Draw Probers' Scrutiny, March 23, 1997
• Read all the stories about the Riadys in The Post from the past month.

The Riadys' links to Bill Clinton date back to Little Rock. In 1984, the Riady family bought a bank with Arkansas financier Jack Stephens. One of Mochtar's three sons, James, was dispatched to Little Rock to help run the operation, and reportedly first met Bill Clinton at one of Stephens's weekly lunches.

James Riady made at least 20 visits to the White House since Clinton was elected in 1992. He met privately with the president three times. During one of those visits, former Lippo executive John Huang asked for Clinton's approval to move from the Commerce Department to the Democratic National Committee. On another visit, Riady urged Clinton to push trade with China.

Last updated July 24, 1997

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Campaign Finance Key Players: The Riady Family

Campaign Finance Key Players:
The Riady Family