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Invitations offer wealthy Chinese access to President Trump at fundraiser
David Fahrenthold Retweeted: https://twitter.com/Fahrenthold
Here’s the first page of an invitation to a Trump fundraiser that’s being circulated to wealthy Chinese business leaders. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/invitations-offer-wealthy-chinese-access-to-president-trump-at-fundraiser/2018/05/25/3bc6a8ae-5e90-11e8-a4a4-c070ef53f315_story.html?utm_term=.d630f819eb98 …
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Politics
Invitations offer wealthy Chinese access to President Trump at fundraiser
by Michelle Ye Hee Lee, Anu Narayanswamy, Emily Rauhala and Simon Denyer May 25 at 12:41 PM [link:michelle.lee@washpost.com; anu.narayanswamy@washpost.com;emily.rauhala@washpost.com; simon.denyer@washpost.com|Email the author]
The letter, circulated to dozens of wealthy entrepreneurs in China last week, looked official. Topped with the insignia of a real Republican committee raising money for the party and President Trump’s reelection campaign, it purported to offer a handshake and a one-on-one photo with the president for $100,000 — a “VVIP” trip “to be remembered for a lifetime.”
The invitation, which Republican Party officials say they had nothing to do with, was not the only such offer. At least two other China-based companies circulated similar solicitations in the past week, offering access to Trump at an official fundraiser in Dallas on May 31, and charging two or three times the price of a ticket.
In an interview with The Washington Post, a Beijing man who claims to be an organizer of the excursion to Dallas said he coordinated a previous U.S. trip, bringing members of the Chinese business elite to snap selfies and pose for photos at a swanky Manhattan fundraiser headlined by Trump in December.
As part of his promotional materials for the Dallas trip, the man circulated pictures of wealthy Chinese business leaders, including a businessman known as the country’s first owner of a Ferrari, standing shoulder to shoulder with Trump in formal wear and giving a thumbs-up.
....
Rauhala, Denyer, Amber Ziye Wang, Luna Lin, Shirley Feng and Yang Liu contributed from Beijing to this report. Lee, Narayanswamy, Damian Paletta and Steven Mufson contributed from Washington.
Michelle Ye Hee Lee is a reporter on The Washington Post's national political enterprise and accountability team, covering money and influence in politics.
Follow @myhlee
Anu Narayanswamy is the data reporter for the national political enterprise and accountability team at The Washington Post, with a focus on money and politics.
Follow @anu_narayan
Emily Rauhala is China correspondent for The Washington Post. She was previously a Beijing-based correspondent for Time and an editor at the magazine's Hong Kong office. In 2017, she shared an Overseas Press Club award for a series about the Internet in China.
Follow @emilyrauhala
Simon Denyer is The Post’s bureau chief in Beijing. He previously worked as The Post's bureau chief in New Delhi; a Reuters bureau chief in Washington, New Delhi and Islamabad, Pakistan; and a Reuters correspondent in Nairobi, New York and London.
Follow @simondenyer
Invitations offer wealthy Chinese access to President Trump at fundraiser
by Michelle Ye Hee Lee, Anu Narayanswamy, Emily Rauhala and Simon Denyer May 25 at 12:41 PM [link:michelle.lee@washpost.com; anu.narayanswamy@washpost.com;emily.rauhala@washpost.com; simon.denyer@washpost.com|Email the author]
The letter, circulated to dozens of wealthy entrepreneurs in China last week, looked official. Topped with the insignia of a real Republican committee raising money for the party and President Trump’s reelection campaign, it purported to offer a handshake and a one-on-one photo with the president for $100,000 — a “VVIP” trip “to be remembered for a lifetime.”
The invitation, which Republican Party officials say they had nothing to do with, was not the only such offer. At least two other China-based companies circulated similar solicitations in the past week, offering access to Trump at an official fundraiser in Dallas on May 31, and charging two or three times the price of a ticket.
In an interview with The Washington Post, a Beijing man who claims to be an organizer of the excursion to Dallas said he coordinated a previous U.S. trip, bringing members of the Chinese business elite to snap selfies and pose for photos at a swanky Manhattan fundraiser headlined by Trump in December.
As part of his promotional materials for the Dallas trip, the man circulated pictures of wealthy Chinese business leaders, including a businessman known as the country’s first owner of a Ferrari, standing shoulder to shoulder with Trump in formal wear and giving a thumbs-up.
....
Rauhala, Denyer, Amber Ziye Wang, Luna Lin, Shirley Feng and Yang Liu contributed from Beijing to this report. Lee, Narayanswamy, Damian Paletta and Steven Mufson contributed from Washington.
Michelle Ye Hee Lee is a reporter on The Washington Post's national political enterprise and accountability team, covering money and influence in politics.
Follow @myhlee
Anu Narayanswamy is the data reporter for the national political enterprise and accountability team at The Washington Post, with a focus on money and politics.
Follow @anu_narayan
Emily Rauhala is China correspondent for The Washington Post. She was previously a Beijing-based correspondent for Time and an editor at the magazine's Hong Kong office. In 2017, she shared an Overseas Press Club award for a series about the Internet in China.
Follow @emilyrauhala
Simon Denyer is The Post’s bureau chief in Beijing. He previously worked as The Post's bureau chief in New Delhi; a Reuters bureau chief in Washington, New Delhi and Islamabad, Pakistan; and a Reuters correspondent in Nairobi, New York and London.
Follow @simondenyer
