A Steamy Spy Scandal at the State Department
A tale of the diplomat, his spy paramour, and his wife — also a spy — keeps getting weirder
By TIMOTHY J. BURGER AND ADAM ZAGORIN
Posted Saturday, Jul. 15, 2006
Few occasions are more sensitive than a visit to the U.S. of a foreign head of state, and few such events during the Bush years have been as closely watched as Chinese leader Jiang Zemin’s visit to the President’s Texas ranch in 2002. But a Taiwanese spy named Isabelle Cheng had the inside track on Jiang’s trip, according to a recent court filing. Federal prosecutors say vaunted State Department Asia hand Donald Keyser sent Cheng long e-mails detailing his “conversations with Chinese President Jiang” in Texas. At some point, prosecutors say, the spy became his lover, and Keyser was caught lying to hide the affair — and hoarding classified documents in his suburban Washington home. Facing jail and with his marriage threatened, Keyser cut a deal, promising to tell all he knew about Taiwan’s intelligence operations. But then the tale of the diplomat, his spook paramour and his wife — also a spy — got even weirder...cont'd
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1214911,00.html_______________
Time: 'Steamy spy scandal' at State Dept. as Nat'l Intel czar Negroponte operation is linked to Taiwanese spying case
Ron Brynaert
Published: Saturday July 15, 2006
A "steamy spy scandal" at the State Department is brewing as Time Magazine links an operation by US Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte to the case involving Taiwanese agent Isabelle Cheng and Donald W. Keyser, former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
"Federal prosecutors say Keyser sent Taiwanese spy Isabelle Cheng, who at some point became Keyser's lover, long e-mails detailing his 'conversations with Chinese President Jiang' during Jiang's visit to President Bush's Texas ranch in 2002," according to a Time press release sent to RAW STORY. "Prosecutors say Keyser was caught lying to hide the affair and hoarding classified documents in his suburban Washington home."
Keyser pleaded guilty last December "to unlawfully removing classified documents and two counts of making false statements" and "admitted that he concealed his relationship with a Taiwanese intelligence agent."
Isabelle Cheng (or Nain-Tzu Cheng) worked for Taiwan's National Security Bureau, operating from the Taipei Economic Cultural and Representative Office in Washington, DC. After cooperating with the US government in the case against Keyser, Cheng "was called back by Taiwan authorities after the incident," and her current whereabouts are unknown...cont'd
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Time_Steamy_spy_scandal_at_State_0715.html