Chinese Ties Exposed: Kamala Harris' VP Pick Favorite Mark Kelly Started Spy Balloon Company Funded by Communist State
Senator Mark Kelly launched a spy balloon company using funding from a venture capitalist firm in China.
Arizona Senator Mark Kelly has come under fire for launching a spy balloon company with funding from a Chinese venture capitalist.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Kelly, 60, co-founded the private space exploration and technology company World View Enterprises in 2012 with money from the Chinese corporation Tencent.
Senator Kelly, 60, co-founded World View Enterprises in 2012 with money from Chinese venture capitalist firm Tencent.
A spokesperson for World View confirmed the company received money from Tencent and condemned the investment, saying: “The current leadership believed it was a mistake for the company to accept Chinese investment when it did."
“When new leadership arrived in 2019 and learned of that investment, they swiftly moved to ensure World View was protected from any and all involvement from representatives of Chinese investors.”
But Kelly, who is rumored to be one of the top names on Kamala Harris’ shortlist for vice president, still faced scrutiny for the links between his company and the venture firm that has direct ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
World View reportedly received funding from Tencent in both 2013 and 2016.
The Democrat left World View in 2019 to focus on his Senate bid.
Although Kelly left World View in 2019 to pursue a special election run for Senate, he admitted to sharing a “very brief conversation” with someone from Tencent before he departed the company.
The former astronaut and Navy veteran also reportedly secured his remaining financial interest in World View in a blind trust before giving up his “access, interest and control of the company” when he left.
The New York Times exposed Kelly and World View’s ties to China on Friday, writing: “Mr. Kelly has not faced the harsh spotlight of a national campaign and has potential political liabilities like a high-altitude surveillance balloon company he helped found with Chinese venture capital.”
Tensions between the U.S. and China continue to run hot after the U.S. military was forced to shoot down a Chinese spy ballon off the coast of South Carolina in February 2023.
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The U.S. Navy recovers a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina in February 2023.
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As RadarOnline.com exclusively reported, this would not be the first scandal Kelly has found himself embroiled in since Harris started considering him as her 2024 running mate.
Claire Kelly, the senator’s youngest daughter, raised eyebrows last week when she was forced to wipe all her social media accounts after posting a video showing bags of marijuana and outlawed party drug Molly on her Instagram page.
Senator Kelly’s daughter uploaded a clip of the drugs with the caption: “P---- Molly Weed”.
She also shared a screengrab of a text message that appeared to be from her Democrat dad warning her to clean up her social media pages.
Senator Kelly's daughter, Claire Kelly, scrubbed her social media pages last week after posting clips of illicit drugs.
It said: “Been busy today. Got 1 call and 2 emails about your Instagram account. I’m not interested in looking but I suspect what you posted would not be in anyone’s best interest. At least not yours or mine.”
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