Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez & Other House Lawmakers Paid Thousands In Campaign Funds To Chinese Foreign Agent, Financial Records Show
Feb. 2 2023, Published 3:30 p.m. ET
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is among four House lawmakers accused of paying a Chinese foreign agent to help with their 2022 reelection campaigns, RadarOnline.com has learned.
In a surprising development to come as tensions between the United States and China are already at an all-time high, newly released campaign finance records show AOC is one of at least four House members who paid a Chinese newspaper thousands of dollars in campaign funds last year.
According to the filings from the Federal Election Commission, AOC paid Sing Tao Newspapers almost $1,500 to run advertisements for her campaign during the 2022 midterms.
House Reps. Grace Meng (D-NY), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) and Kevin Mullin (D-CA) also reportedly paid the Chinese newspaper between $1,000 and $7,000 to run similar ads for their respective midterm campaigns last year.
Sing Tao U.S. is a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Sing Tao News Corporation Ltd., according to Daily Mail, and the Chinese newspaper outlet was reportedly classified as a foreign agent by the Justice Department in August 2021.
Sing Tao’s U.S. operations also reportedly include a number of newspapers in New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco in addition to a radio station based out of Burlingame, California.
The majority of the company was reportedly purchased by the daughter of a wealthy Chinese property owner in June 2021, at which point the DOJ ordered the company to register as a Chinese foreign agent two months later.
Although the media company has insisted it is free from the Chinese Communist Party’s influence, it has been classified as both a foreign agent and a pro-Beijing outlet as tensions between Washington and Beijing continue to rise over the territorial status of the island nation of Taiwan.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Democratic House Rep. Ocasio-Cortez is already under investigation by the House Ethics Committee – although it still remains unclear what prompted the investigation and what the probe is in connection to.
House Reps. Susan Wild (D-PA) and Michael Guest (R-MS) announced the House Ethics probe into AOC in December 2022, although they emphasized that the investigation "does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred."
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While it is unclear whether the investigation is connected to AOC allegedly paying a Chinese foreign agent to help with her 2022 midterm reelection bid, the 33-year-old New York congresswoman is "fully participating" with the ongoing probe.
"[I have] always taken ethics incredibly seriously, refusing any donations from lobbyists, corporations, or other special interests,” AOC said in a statement after the investigation was announced. “We are confident that this matter will be dismissed."
