Four Lawmakers Sent Campaign Funds To CCP-Linked News Organization, FEC Filings Show

Four members of the House of Representatives sent campaign money to a U.S.-based news company with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) during the 2022 election cycle, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings.

Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democratic New York Rep. Grace Meng, Democratic California Rep. Kevin Mullin, and Republican New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis sent thousands of dollars to Sing Tao U.S., a subsidiary of the Hong Kong-based Sing Tao News Corporation, for campaign advertisements in Chinese publications in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York, according to the FEC filings.

Sing Tao U.S. circulates Chinese-language newspapers written across the country. In 2021, the Justice Department ordered Sing Tao U.S. to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which is required for individuals or companies that engage in political activities on behalf of a foreign power. While the CCP does not directly own Sing Tao, it exerts influence over the paper’s Hong Kong-based parent company, according to a 2013 report from the Center for International Media Assistance. (RELATED: US Adds Four Chinese Media Outlets To List Of Beijing-Controlled ‘Propaganda’)

All payments to the Chinese company were made during the 2022 midterm election cycle. Meng, Mullin and Malliotakis spent between $1,000 to $7,000 on multiple Sing Tao entities for ad expenses, according to election filings. With nearly $1,500 spent on political ads, Ocasio-Cortez spent the most out of the four representatives, according to the filings.