{"id":2184575,"date":"2024-02-23T05:21:02","date_gmt":"2024-02-23T10:21:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/top-dccc-fundraiser-lobbied-for-chinese-military-tied-company-on-pentagon-blacklist\/"},"modified":"2024-02-23T05:26:03","modified_gmt":"2024-02-23T10:26:03","slug":"top-dccc-fundraiser-lobbied-for-chinese-military-tied-company-on-pentagon-blacklist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/top-dccc-fundraiser-lobbied-for-chinese-military-tied-company-on-pentagon-blacklist\/","title":{"rendered":"Top DCCC fundraiser advocated for Chinese military-linked firm on Pentagon blacklist"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftop-dccc-fundraiser-lobbied-for-chinese-military-tied-company-on-pentagon-blacklist%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2184575&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>The \u2062DCCC&#8217;s \u200cTop Fundraiser Linked to\u200c Chinese Military-Linked Company<\/h2>\n<p>The campaign arm for House \u2063Democrats has enlisted the help of a top fundraiser with a controversial background. Steve\u200d Elmendorf, a lobbyist at the influential firm Avoq,\u200c was listed as a bundler\u2063 for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), responsible \u2063for collecting and transferring donations totaling $125,800. However, Elmendorf&#8217;s ties to DJI Technology, the world&#8217;s largest drone maker blacklisted by \u200dthe Pentagon for its connections to China&#8217;s military, \u200dcould pose a problem for the DCCC in\u2063 the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-democrats-in-tight-races-play-catch-up-after-expensive-midterm-campaigns\/\" title=\"House Democrats in tight races play catch-up after expensive midterm campaigns\">upcoming 2024 election cycle<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>A Liability for the DCCC<\/h3>\n<p>DJI Technology\u200b has faced scrutiny for its\u2062 involvement in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/just-like-the-good-old-days-joe-biden-invades-syria-with-convoy-of-us-troops-and-choppers-on-first-full-day-as-president\/\" title=\"Just Like the Good Old Days: Joe Biden Invades Syria with Convoy of US Troops and Choppers on First Full Day as President\">human rights abuses<\/a>, particularly in relation to China&#8217;s persecution of Uyghur Muslims and other\u200c ethnic groups. The Commerce Department placed DJI on an economic blacklist in 2020, and the Treasury Department added it to an investment blacklist in 2021. \u200dElmendorf&#8217;s \u2063association with DJI raises concerns about the DCCC&#8217;s alignment with Chinese\u200b Communist Party-controlled companies linked to the military.<\/p>\n<p>Michael Sobolik, a China expert at the American Foreign Policy Council, warns that this\u2064 connection creates perverse incentives for members of Congress to turn \u2063a blind eye to problematic companies. It puts policymakers in a difficult position, forcing them to choose between\u200c doing what \u2062is right and risking the\u2062 loss \u200dof campaign donations.<\/p>\n<h3>Avoq&#8217;s Deregistration and DJI&#8217;s Denial<\/h3>\n<p>Avoq, the lobbying firm Elmendorf works for, is in the\u200b process of \u200cderegistering on \u2064behalf of DJI. This move comes after\u2062 reports \u200cof lawmakers considering \u2063proposals to \u2062block lobbying firms from securing meetings with their offices. DJI denies any relationship with the \u2064Chinese\u200c Communist Party (CCP) and asserts that\u200d it is a\u200d privately held and controlled \u2062company.<\/p>\n<h3>Elmendorf&#8217;s Lobbying Activities<\/h3>\n<p>Elmendorf, a former chief of\u200d staff for ex-House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, has been \u200clisted on federal lobbying disclosures for DJI, totaling $240,000. His firm registered on behalf of the \u200ddrone manufacturer\u200b in \u2063September \u200b2023. \u2063The termination \u2063filing\u200b indicates that Avoq lobbied in connection to the Countering CCP Drones \u2063Act and issues \u200crelated to the Federal Aviation Administration \u2064Act of 2023.<\/p>\n<h3>Other CCP-Tied Companies and Avoq&#8217;s Status<\/h3>\n<p>The \u200bDCCC&#8217;s bundler filing also included lobbyists for Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, which recently ended its association with Hesai \u200bGroup, another company tied to the\u2063 CCP. Avoq is still registered to lobby for \u200cComplete Genomics, a subsidiary of\u2064 China-based MGI Tech, which is also \u200dblacklisted by the\u200d Pentagon. \u200bIt remains unclear whether Avoq plans to drop Complete Genomics.<\/p>\n<p>Will Reinert, press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee,\u200b criticizes the DCCC for relying on\u2062 a lobbyist with ties\u2062 to \u200bthe Chinese military. Reinert calls for the DCCC to return the funds collected through Elmendorf&#8217;s\u200b influence peddling.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What are the potential implications of\u200c the\u2063 DCCC&#8217;s connection to DJI Technology, a\u2062 company allegedly involved in human rights abuses?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Ompanies and their potential influence over American politics.<\/p>\n<p>Elmendorf&#8217;s role as a bundler \u2063for the DCCC means that he is responsible for collecting and transferring \u2063large sums of money \u200cto support Democratic candidates. With a total of $125,800 raised, Elmendorf&#8217;s fundraising capabilities \u2063are undeniable. However, his ties to DJI Technology raise questions about the\u2062 source and potential implications \u200dof these funds.<\/p>\n<p>The connection between \u200bElmendorf and DJI Technology is particularly troubling considering the company&#8217;s alleged involvement in human rights abuses. Reports have suggested that DJI has provided surveillance technology to the Chinese government, which has been used to monitor and suppress Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic groups in Xinjiang province. The Chinese government&#8217;s treatment of these \u2064minority groups\u200c has been widely criticized, with\u2062 reports of mass detentions, forced assimilation, and\u200b cultural suppression.<\/p>\n<p>By associating with a company implicated in such grave \u200dhuman rights violations, Elmendorf&#8217;s involvement with\u2063 DJI raises concerns about the DCCC&#8217;s values and priorities. \u2062Democratic candidates and the DCCC should be committed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cornel-west-pushes-back-against-harlan-crow-donation-criticism\/\" title=\"Cornel West defends Harlan Crow donation backlash.\">upholding\u2062 human rights<\/a> and promoting democratic values, rather than aligning with companies that\u2062 are potentially complicit in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/israeli-owned-spyware-firms-blacklisted-by-us-commerce-department-over-national-security-risks\/\" title=\"US Commerce Department blacklists Israeli spyware firms due to national security risks.\">human \u2062rights abuses<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, Elmendorf&#8217;s ties to DJI Technology could also have\u200b implications for national security. In 2020, the Pentagon added DJI \u2063to its blacklist due to concerns about the company&#8217;s connections to China&#8217;s military and the potential risks posed by its drones. There \u2062have been concerns that DJI drones could be used for espionage or other nefarious purposes, posing a threat to American\u2064 national security.<\/p>\n<p>Considering the upcoming 2024 election cycle, the DCCC must carefully consider the potential ramifications of Elmendorf&#8217;s\u2063 association with DJI Technology.\u2064 The influence of Chinese companies on American politics has been a \u200bsubject of increasing concern, \u2064particularly in light of China&#8217;s growing geopolitical power and its desire to exert \u2063influence abroad.<\/p>\n<p>It is\u2062 essential for the DCCC\u200c to uphold transparency \u200cand ensure that its fundraisers uphold ethical standards. By aligning with individuals and companies with questionable \u200cties and potential conflicts\u2062 of interest, the DCCC risks undermining its credibility and the\u2064 trust placed in it by the American people.<\/p>\n<h3>Conclusion<\/h3>\n<p>The DCCC&#8217;s enlistment of \u200cSteve Elmendorf as a top fundraiser raises significant concerns due to his ties to DJI Technology, a Chinese \u2063military-linked company. The alleged involvement of DJI in human rights abuses\u2063 and its blacklisting by\u200b the Pentagon highlight the potential ethical and national security implications of Elmendorf&#8217;s association with the company.<\/p>\n<p>The DCCC must carefully consider the message\u200d it sends by aligning with individuals connected to controversial companies. Upholding \u200bhuman rights, promoting democratic values, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bipartisan-group-of-lawmakers-urge-joe-biden-to-immediately-evacuate-afghans-who-helped-u-s-forces\/\" title=\"Bipartisan group of lawmakers urge Joe Biden to \u2018immediately\u2019 evacuate Afghans who helped U.S. forces\">safeguarding national security<\/a> should be priorities for the DCCC and its fundraisers. \u200cAnything less risks undermining \u2063the credibility and integrity of the DCCC and its \u200cmission to support\u2062 Democratic \u200dcandidates for the upcoming 2024 election \u200ccycle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the campaign arm for House Democrats, includes Steve Elmendorf as a top fundraiser. However, records reveal that Elmendorf was a lobbyist for a US government-sanctioned company associated with China&#8217;s military. He was listed as a bundler in the committee&#8217;s Federal Election Commission filing for January<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":381,"featured_media":2184576,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP21313069891533-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2184575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP21313069891533-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2184575","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/381"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2184575"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2184575\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2184576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2184575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2184575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2184575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}