{"id":2657578,"date":"2026-09-10T12:12:01","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T16:12:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignreport-elaine-chao-held-roles-at-ccp-agency-while-in-bush-trump-cabinets\/"},"modified":"2026-09-10T12:16:24","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T16:16:24","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignreport-elaine-chao-held-roles-at-ccp-agency-while-in-bush-trump-cabinets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignreport-elaine-chao-held-roles-at-ccp-agency-while-in-bush-trump-cabinets\/","title":{"rendered":"Report: Elaine Chao Held Roles At CCP Agency While In Bush, Trump Cabinets"},"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\">26<\/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%2Futm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignreport-elaine-chao-held-roles-at-ccp-agency-while-in-bush-trump-cabinets%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=2657578&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>Elaine Chao, known for her roles in U.S. government under Bush and Trump, allegedly held multiple positions within Chinese government-affiliated organizations since 2008, including the Chinese Communist Party\u2019s United Front Work Department, which is involved in influence operations. Several of her titles overlapped with her tenure as a U.S. cabinet member, raising concerns about conflicts of interest and Chinese influence. Despite thes revelations, Chao and her supporters dismissed the reports as racist smears, defending her patriotism and denying significant involvement with Chinese authorities. The reports highlight longstanding connections between the chao family and Chinese government advisory roles, with questions about potential influence on U.S. policy and national security. Critics argue that U.S. officials largely ignored or avoided scrutinizing her China ties, facilitating her rise in American politics, including her position as Transportation Secretary. The controversy underscores broader issues of Chinese influence operations and the challenges of addressing foreign ties among U.S. officials.  <\/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>Americans may know Elaine Chao as the former Bush and Trump-era cabinet official whose husband led the Senate Republican conference for more than two decades, but her involvement in government didn\u2019t stop with roles in the United States. According to an explosive new <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2026\/09\/08\/exclusive-mitch-mcconnell-wife-elaine-chao-ccp-appointments\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Daily Caller News Foundation report<\/a>, Chao \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20260715235435\/https:\/\/epaper.file.routeryun.com\/jdb\/2008-12-15\/01\/01.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">received<\/a> at least four Chinese government <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/fadtz\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">positions<\/a> since 2008.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Several of these roles, first documented by the Chinese government and media, were in divisions of the <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=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cChinese Communist Party (CCP) organ\u201d<\/a> the United Front Work Department (UFWD), which is known for its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c878evdp758o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">espionage<\/a> and influence operations designed to sway global conversations and policy to align with CCP leader Xi Jinping\u2019s political goals. The UFWD prides itself on co-opting Chinese nationals living overseas, particularly through<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.org.au\/how-chinas-united-front-system-works-overseas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> \u201celite capture\u00a0and public diplomacy,\u201d<\/a> to \u201cadvance Chinese influence, power and access to technology abroad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At least two of the Chao\u2019s titles with UFWD-affiliated organizations appear to have overlapped with her time as a U.S. cabinet official.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnited front work damages U.S. interests through legal and illegal technology transfer, surveillance of Chinese diaspora communities, promotion of favorable narratives about the PRC through ostensibly independent voices, and the neutralization or harassment of critics of the CCP,\u201d one memorandum from Congress\u2019 select committee on the Chinese Communist Party <a href=\"https:\/\/chinaselectcommittee.house.gov\/sites\/evo-subsites\/selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov\/files\/evo-media-document\/uf-101-memo-final-pdf-version.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">detailed<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>One of Chao\u2019s alleged appointments, as advisor and fifth council committee member of the UFWD\u2019s All-China Federation Of Returned Overseas Chinese (ACFORC), partially coincided with her time as Trump\u2019s Transportation Secretary. During that same period, 2012 to 2017, reporting suggests Chao and her father were\u00a0also\u00a0advisors to the UFWD\u2019s China Overseas Friendship Association (COFA) located in Shanghai\u2019s Jiading District. By 2019, Chao\u2019s sister Angela became director of COFA\u2019s national organization.<\/p>\n<p>Even before that, Chao and her father, alongside \u201cseveral Chinese government officials,\u201d were reportedly named honorary chairmen of the ACFORC\u2019s third council. At the time, Chao\u00a0was serving in George W. Bush\u2019s cabinet as Labor Secretary.<\/p>\n<p>Chao did not have a substantive answer for the conflicts of interest exposed by the Daily Caller. Instead, the spokesman for her family\u2019s shipping company called the reporting \u201churtful and racist.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo one seems to care when most American business or political leaders hold meetings in China, so it\u2019s suspicious when the Daily Caller makes insinuations about a former two-time cabinet secretary of Asian descent, especially based on photos, some of which are decades old,\u201d Foremost Group\u2019s Patrick O\u2019Connor said. \u201cThe secretary is a proud American who has devoted most of her professional life to serving the American people. To question her patriotism is a double standard, at best \u2014 racist, at worst.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He wasn\u2019t the only one to dub the Daily Caller\u2019s reporting racist. Former National Security Council\u2019s director for China <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Michael7ucci\/status\/2097664971488276953?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dennis Wilder<\/a> called the allegations \u201canother racist attack on one of America\u2019s finest public servants.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Let&#8217;s call this what it is\u2013another racist attack on one of America&#8217;s finest public servants.  Absolutely shameful. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/CyubEUPDqF\">https:\/\/t.co\/CyubEUPDqF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Dennis Wilder\u5049\u5fb7\u5be7 (@dennisw5) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/dennisw5\/status\/2097487879765147834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 9, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Smearing criticism of its foreign influence missions as \u201cprejudice,\u201d the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uscc.gov\/research\/chinas-overseas-united-front-work-background-and-implications-united-states\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">warns<\/a>, is a commonly used UFWD tactic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is precisely the nature of United Front work to seek influence through connections that are difficult to publicly prove and to gain influence that is interwoven with sensitive issues such as ethnic, political, and national identity, making those who seek to identify the negative effects of such influence vulnerable to accusations of prejudice,\u201d one of the Commission\u2019s 2018 research documents states.<\/p>\n<p>The Daily Caller reportedly supplied O\u2019Connor with \u201cChinese government and state media photos published between 2010 and 2026 showing Chao meeting with officials from the CCP and\/or UFWD,\u201d but he continued to deny Chao\u2019s involvement in Chinese Communist Party organizations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe has never held a position with a foreign government or acted on behalf of one. We are not aware she has met with representatives from UFWD entities,\u201d O\u2019Connor claimed.<\/p>\n<p>When the Daily Caller questioned Chao\u2019s 2009 role as the Wuhan municipal government international\u00a0advisor, which state media allegedly praised because it could mean \u201cmore favorable conditions for Wuhan in matters of foreign affairs and attracting overseas talent,\u201d spokesman O\u2019Connor again waved off the allegations. <\/p>\n<p>He suggested that while Chao \u201creceived countless honorary degrees, titles, recognitions, keys to the city and other official awards over her career in public service,\u201d she was not always aware of the \u201ctitle bestowed to her, in part, because she is not fluent in Chinese.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Less than 10 years later Chao\u2019s sister and father also \u201creceived Wuhan government advisory positions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Whether Chao was financially compensated for her various involvement in Chinese politics is unclear. The scope of her influence in China and, subsequently, China\u2019s influence on the former U.S. cabinet official and her family, however, is clear. In fact, it has been for a long time. <\/p>\n<p>Chao\u2019s \u201cextensive personal\u201d connections to the Chinese Communist Party and its leaders <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20010616211259\/https:\/\/www.wnd.com\/news\/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=21327\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">were no secret<\/a> when Bush nominated her to head the Department of Labor in 2001. Yet, her alleged involvement in Chinese politics was never seriously and publicly probed. <\/p>\n<p>The lack of curiosity from the U.S. government about Chao\u2019s China ties and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlky.com\/article\/elaine-chao-china-vice-president-mitch-mcconnell-kentucky\/71823757\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">frequent visits<\/a> ultimately paved the way for her to hold other prominent positions in American politics including leading the Department of Transportation during Trump\u2019s first administration. <\/p>\n<p>As the Daily Caller noted, Chao failed to disclose \u201cany of the reported Chinese government positions during her January 2017 DOT secretary Senate confirmation hearing\u201d even though the nomination process <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/115\/chrg\/shrg25973\/CHRG-115shrg25973.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">demands a list<\/a> of \u201cany advisory, consultative, honorary, or other  part-time service or positions with Federal, State, or local  governments, other than those listed above, within the last ten years.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<p>By the time Chao was installed as Transportation Secretary, she had spent <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20170322014400\/https:\/\/www.reaganlibrary.archives.gov\/archives\/speeches\/1983\/52583d.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">more than 30 years<\/a> working on and off in and around the White House and Executive Branch, relying heavily on her experience.<\/p>\n<p>Not only are <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20220220084823\/https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/06\/02\/us\/politics\/transportation-secretary-elaine-chao.html?action=click&#038;module=Intentional&#038;pgtype=Article\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a majority of Foremost\u2019s ships built in state-owned shipyards<\/a>, but some are even financed by the Chinese Communist Party. They are then used to deliver cargo outlined in contracts with the communist government, which has clearly stated goals to rapidly expand its industries to compete with the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>In 2018, investigative author Peter Schweizer documented how Mitch McConnell\u2019s marriage to Chao changed his once-strong stance against China and how he would <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2018\/03\/17\/how-mcconnell-and-chao-used-political-power-to-make-their-family-rich\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cincreasingly avoid public criticism of China.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p>In 2022, shortly after Trump complained about Chao and McConnell\u2019s China ties <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/108858312481973600\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">on Truth Social<\/a>, I outlined how the couple\u2019s glaring conflicts of interests, including with the Chao family\u2019s maritime shipping company in China, not only compromised our national security but handed them decades of well-documented self enrichment. One week after my article debuted, the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board sided with Chao, smeared Trump\u2019s accusations about her ties to China as racist, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/opinion\/donald-trumps-vendetta-politics-elaine-chao-transportation-secretary-mitch-mcconnell-11661969905\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">attacked my reporting as \u201cinnuendo.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Journal\u2019s editorial managed two remarkable feats that we simply must talk about. First, it unwittingly confirmed why McConnell and Chao are compromised. Second, it weaponized identity politics to smear critics of two powerful politicians as bigots,\u201d then-Federalist Culture Editor and The Hill\u2019s <em>Rising<\/em> co-host Emily Jashinsky <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=obTCo9BaV7c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">noted<\/a>. <\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Jordan Boyd is an award-winning staff writer at The Federalist and producer of \u201cThe Federalist Radio Hour.\u201d Her work has also been featured in The Daily Wire, Fox News, and RealClearPolitics. Jordan graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow her on X @jordanboydtx.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Elaine Chao held Chinese government roles since 2008<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":490,"featured_media":2657579,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Untitled-design-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546,33651],"tags":[51019,85444,85443,48231,43939],"class_list":["post-2657578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","category-the-western-journal","tag-ccp-2","tag-courtney-report","tag-elaine-chao","tag-government-officials","tag-political-allegations"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Untitled-design-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2657578","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\/490"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2657578"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2657578\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2657582,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2657578\/revisions\/2657582"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2657579"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2657578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2657578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2657578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}