SOURCE: Republican National Committee

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- On the same day that Al Gore's toughest union lieutenants, Richard Trumka and Gerald McEntee, are organizing a mass rally following Gore's debate in Iowa with Bill Bradley, Republican National Committee Chairman Jim Nicholson announced today that he has put the entire 3,000-page transcript of the federal trial of ex-Teamsters Political Director William Hamilton on the "Spotlight Section" of the RNC's website, http://www.rnc.org

The testimony implicates both Trumka and McEntee -- as well as Gore fundraiser Terry McAuliffe -- as participants in an illegal campaign money-laundering scheme during the 1996 election cycle.

"With Al Gore claiming there were 'no legal violations' in the 1996 election cycle, Americans can now judge for themselves whether he's telling the truth -- or whether this is another case of the Vice President's imagination getting away with him," Nicholson said.

"This sworn testimony convicted Ron Carey's number-two man at the Teamsters of 6 counts of conspiracy, fraud, embezzlement and perjury, and it implicates Al Gore's principal fundraiser, Terry McAuliffe, and his toughest union lieutenants, Richard Trumka and Gerald McEntee."

Hamilton, who was Teamsters' Political Director under disgraced former-President Ron Carey, faces up to 30 years in prison, plus fines of $1 million. His sentencing is scheduled for February 29, 2000. Sworn testimony and exhibits in the trial tell the story of how McAuliffe, Trumka and McEntee were among those who helped carry out the illegal contribution swap schemes.

The transcript of the testimony, Nicholson said, "will be fully searchable, allowing online users to quickly and conveniently access portions of the transcript by witness, word or date the testimony occurred."

Nicholson said that the RNC will permit other groups and web pages to link directly to the testimony, "so that this incredible story gets the attention it deserves -- attention the elite media has denied it."