{"id":2243993,"date":"2024-05-14T06:14:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-14T10:14:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/this-democrat-paid-a-chinese-foreign-agent-now-the-lawmaker-claims-he-did-so-unknowingly\/"},"modified":"2024-05-14T06:17:55","modified_gmt":"2024-05-14T10:17:55","slug":"this-democrat-paid-a-chinese-foreign-agent-now-the-lawmaker-claims-he-did-so-unknowingly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/this-democrat-paid-a-chinese-foreign-agent-now-the-lawmaker-claims-he-did-so-unknowingly\/","title":{"rendered":"A Democrat inadvertently paid a Chinese foreign agent, claims innocence"},"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\">20<\/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%2Fthis-democrat-paid-a-chinese-foreign-agent-now-the-lawmaker-claims-he-did-so-unknowingly%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=2243993&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--><p>Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) unwittingly paid for ads \u200cin a Chinese-owned\u2063 newspaper, now under scrutiny for its ties \u200cto the Chinese Communist Party. Suozzi, known\u200d for criticizing China\u2019s <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>, is facing backlash\u200d over these payments. The situation has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-jim-jordan-gives-ultimatum-on-the-upcoming-electoral-college-showdown-video\/\" title=\"WATCH: Jim Jordan Gives Ultimatum On The Upcoming Electoral College Showdown (VIDEO)\">raised concerns<\/a> about\u2063 foreign \u2062influence \u200cin U.S. \u200dpolitics. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) unintentionally \u200bfunded advertisements in a Chinese-owned newspaper, currently facing investigation \u200ddue to its connections with the Chinese \u2062Communist Party. Suozzi, a vocal critic of China&#8217;s human rights violations, is encountering criticism\u200d for these \u200btransactions. This incident highlights\u2062 worries about foreign influence in American \u200cpolitics.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>EXCLUSIVE \u2014<\/strong> Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) paid thousands of dollars from his campaign to place ads in a Chinese-owned newspaper registered as a foreign agent. However, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/house-democrats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>House Democrat<\/a> now claims this was done \u201cunknowingly\u201d and says he is reviewing the <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/money\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>cash<\/a> transfers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf they are in any way affiliated with the <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/china\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Chinese<\/a> Communist Party, they\u2019ll never get anything from us again,\u201d Suozzi said. \u201cThe CCP has tentacles trying to influence the distribution of information and disinformation throughout our society. There\u2019s lesser-known examples like this and [China] has a very sophisticated effort.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Suozzi, <a href=\"https:\/\/suozzi.house.gov\/media\/press-releases\/suozzi-relaunches-congressional-uyghur-caucus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>co-chair<\/a> of a congressional caucus raising concerns over China\u2019s persecution of Uyghur ethnic minorities, made the comments in an interview with the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> after the outlet reached out to him with a list of questions about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/disbursements\/?data_type=processed&#038;committee_id=C00607200&#038;recipient_name=sing+tao\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>over<\/a> $7,200 that his campaign dished out in February to a New York-based subsidiary of Sing Tao U.S. The payments to Sing Tao were earmarked under \u201cprint advertising\u201d in New York.<\/p>\n<p>That Chinese-owned newspaper was forced by the Biden administration in 2021 to register as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/congress-has-paid-major-campaign-cash-to-score-ads-in-chinese-foreign-agent-newspaper\/\" title=\"Congress paid significant campaign funds for advertisements in a Chinese foreign agent newspaper.\">foreign agent engaged<\/a> in \u201cpolitical activity,\u201d according to records on <a href=\"https:\/\/efile.fara.gov\/docs\/6999-Registration-Statement-20210823-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>file<\/a> with the Department of Justice. The newspaper <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rfa.org\/english\/news\/china\/agent-08272021115240.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>also<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-donors-economist-immigration-can-offset-risks-in-foreign-trade\/\" title=\"GOP Donors' Economist: Immigration Can Offset Risks in Foreign Trade\">reportedly shares ties<\/a> to the Chinese Communist Party\u2019s United Front Work Department, <a href=\"https:\/\/selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov\/media\/press-releases\/select-committee-unveils-ccp-influence-memo-united-front-101\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>which<\/a>, according <a href=\"https:\/\/2017-2021.state.gov\/chinas-coercive-tactics-abroad\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>to<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/2017-2021.state.gov\/designation-of-the-national-association-for-chinas-peaceful-unification-nacpu-as-a-foreign-mission-of-the-prc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>the<\/a> U.S. government, coordinates the party\u2019s intelligence gathering and influence operations overseas.<\/p>\n<p>News of the Sing Tao payments is likely to open Suozzi up to hypocrisy accusations as he looks to hold on to his House seat in 2024. The China critic won a special election earlier this year to replace expelled New York Republican Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/george-santos\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">George Santos<\/a>. Suozzi has <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepTomSuozzi\/status\/1263550717127725056\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>blasted<\/a> the CCP for \u201cegregious attacks on democracy and human rights\u201d and often takes aim at China for its surveillance and detainment of Uyghur Muslims in China\u2019s autonomous Xinjiang region that <a href=\"https:\/\/2017-2021.state.gov\/determination-of-the-secretary-of-state-on-atrocities-in-xinjiang\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>the<\/a> State Department in 2021 determined to constitute genocide.<\/p>\n<p>The congressman has also previously <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepTomSuozzi\/status\/1311408903045951495\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>said<\/a> the United States has a duty to counter Beijing\u2019s efforts to \u201cexpand its sphere of influence\u201d and \u201csophisticated plan to dominate the world.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Reached by the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, Suozzi said he \u201cunknowingly\u201d advertised with Sing Tao. The situation, he said, appears to show \u201chow insidious\u201d the CCP is.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I\u2019m a congressman and I didn\u2019t know about it, think about what\u2019s happening to regular citizens on a regular basis,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p>Mike LiPetri, the Republican nominee set to face off this November against Suozzi in New York\u2019s 3rd Congressional District, said Suozzi\u2019s payments warrant scrutiny. The <em>Cook Political Report<\/em>, a nonpartisan elections tracker, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cookpolitical.com\/ratings\/house-race-ratings\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>rates<\/a> the district as \u201clikely Democrat\u201d in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNY-03 deserves a congressman who will stand up to China and its human rights violations, not line their communist pockets with cash that fuels their infiltration and influence-peddling schemes,\u201d LiPetri, a former New York state assemblyman, said in a statement to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. <\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) shakes hands with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) after a ceremonial swearing-in at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. (AP Photo\/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Sing Tao U.S. is affiliated with a Hong Kong-based outlet said to have maintained leaders on China\u2019s National Committee of the Chinese People\u2019s Political Consultative Conference, a <a href=\"https:\/\/subsites.chinadaily.com.cn\/Qiushi\/2024-03\/04\/c_967191.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>top<\/a> CCP advisory body. Over half of Sing Tao\u2019s content in 2021 was purchased by a company in southeastern China, DOJ filings show.<\/p>\n<p>China\u2019s government has one of the \u201cworld\u2019s most <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/aoc-among-politicians-including-a-republican-to-send-campaign-cash-to-chinese-foreign-agent\/\" title=\"AOC Among Politicians \u2013 Including a Republican \u2013 To Send Campaign Cash to Chinese Foreign Agent\">restrictive media environments<\/a>, relying on censorship to control information in the news, online, and on social media,\u201d according to the Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank. <\/p>\n<p>Sing Tao\u2019s influence in the U.S. is under the spotlight following <em>Newsweek<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/eric-adams-china-new-york-xi-jinping-influence-asian-parade-united-states-1897424\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>reporting<\/a> Sunday that its CEO helped organize a parade with New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2023\/09\/28\/new-york-ccp-dem-campaigns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>who<\/a> has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/china-communist-party-new-york-political-influence-campaign-donations-1828730\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>faced<\/a> scrutiny for accepting CCP-linked donations.<\/p>\n<p>But the Suozzi campaign\u2019s willingness to cut checks to Sing Tao is no anomaly among officeholders. <\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2221919\/congress-has-paid-major-campaign-cash-to-score-ads-in-chinese-foreign-agent-newspaper\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>reported last August<\/a> that eight other lawmakers paid $41,500 to Sing Tao, prompting one lawmaker, Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), to say her aides were investigating the matter. <\/p>\n<p>Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) paid Sing Tao in recent years and has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/OcasioCortez\/photos\/a.1328091950614819\/3022868761137121\/?type=3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>touted<\/a> doing so on social media. Another lawmaker who paid Sing Tao is Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY). There is no evidence these payments were made illegally, but they\u2019ve <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2221919\/congress-has-paid-major-campaign-cash-to-score-ads-in-chinese-foreign-agent-newspaper\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>raised eyebrows<\/a> among some foreign policy experts focused on China issues.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis may require a real bipartisan, top-down push inside the campaign industry to incorporate the Foreign Agents Registration Act into the due diligence process,\u201d Richard Goldberg, senior adviser to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank, said.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Given the CCP\u2019s influence campaign in the U.S., campaigns would be wise to issue written guidance to candidates so they \u201cunderstand the risks associated with subsidizing or otherwise partnering with foreign government-controlled entities,\u201d Goldberg told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p>Sing Tao did not return a request for comment. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) paid for ads in a Chinese-owned newspaper registered as a foreign agent, saying it was unknowingly done. The House Democrat is reviewing the cash transfers. Suozzi mentioned possible links to the Chinese Communist Party<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":381,"featured_media":2243994,"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\/05\/AP24045152635726-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2243993","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\/05\/AP24045152635726-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2243993","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=2243993"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2243993\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2243994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2243993"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2243993"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2243993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}