China regards Taiwan as part of its territory and has said it would use force to prevent it from declaring independence. Before his election, Chen softened his position, saying he would only call for a vote on independence if China attacks. Last year, Mr. Lee was identified as the prime suspect in a spying case at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He was suspected of leaking U.S. nuclear secrets to China. The report listed several mistakes by the Department of Energy and the Justice Department during the investigation.
Probable cause is required before the government can use electronic surveillance on U.S. citizens.
FBI director Janet Reno has said there was little evidence to justify monitoring Mr. Lee, but several senators, including Sen. Specter, contend that a wiretap would have prevented a breach in national security. Mr. Lee has not been charged with spying, but he is in jail facing trial on 59 counts of downloading classified nuclear secrets onto unsecured computers. He faces possible life imprisonment. Sen. Specter has proposed the Counterintelligence Reform Act to make it easier to approve wiretapping citizens suspected of spying. Trade Pact with China in Jeopardy Leaders of the Senate Finance Committee warned that a landmark trade agreement with China was in danger due to China's threat to attack Taiwan.