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From the latest Judicial Watch newletter:

On August 5, Judicial Watch and its members won a long, hard-fought victory in court in its Chinagate lawsuit against the Clinton Commerce Department. Judge Royce C. Lamberth ruled that Judicial Watch is entitled to $900,000 for attorney fees and costs related to JW’s 10-year battle in court over the illegal sale of taxpayer-funded trade missions in exchange for campaign contributions to the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton-Gore campaign. Of course, $900,000 is a drop in the bucket when compared to the resources Judicial Watch actually expended in order to push this lawsuit forward, but the victory is important for another reason. Judge Lamberth credited Judicial Watch with forcing the Clinton Commerce Department to change the policy for selecting participants in trade missions and for prompting both the Federal Election Commission and two congressional committees to investigate the matter. During the course of the lawsuit, evidence was uncovered that the Clinton gang shredded and removed government documents to cover up a massive bribery/extortion scheme to raise money for their political campaigns. Testimony implicated Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and Al Gore in an illegal effort to sell Commerce Department trade mission seats in exchange for political contributions of up to $100,000. The lawsuit also helped get the ball rolling on Chinagate. The testimony of Clinton fundraiser and accused Chinese spy John Huang, which took place in 1996, remains the only public testimony of this key figure in the Clinton fundraising testimony. (The spectacle of John Huang running from court-ordered testimony galvanized Washington, DC during the 1996 presidential campaign.) Key findings of this case were presented to Congress during the Clinton’s impeachment. Many believe that Chinagate and his bribery/extortion scheme at Commerce which we uncovered should have been the basis for removing Clinton from office. This latest court decision is a great tribute to the effectiveness of our work. By forcing the government to clean up its act and to change the way it conducts its business, which is an extraordinarily difficult task, Judicial Watch achieved something significant for history and accountability on behalf of the American people and the many generous individuals who support our work.