Latest / The Ben Ferguson Podcast / Beijing in America's Backyard: a SoCal Mayor & an Operative Targeting a U.S. Lawmaker’s Aide

Transcript

Beijing in America's Backyard: a SoCal Mayor & an Operative Targeting a U.S. Lawmaker’s Aide · The Ben Ferguson Podcast

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Good. Then I said, yeah, he's a dumb guy. And
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: then I said he's a Democrat. And I don't know
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: if people are gonna like that term or not.
• 0:07
  Speaker 2: It maybe catches on and maybe it doesn't.
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: But it's true. If policies are insane, and they would
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: drive our country into ruin, and we've got to do
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: great in the midterms, and if we don't, they will
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: do everything they can to destroy our country. There's something
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: wrong with them. You're listening to the forty seven Morning
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: Update with Ben Ferguson.
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: Good Tuesday morning. Nice to have you with us on
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: the forty seven Morning Update, and we've got two major
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: stories for you. First up, a California mayor right outside
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: of la resigning after agreeing to plead guilty to acting
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: as an agent for the Communist Chinese Party. This happening
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: is We moved to story number two, which is now
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: China making a full court press to infiltrate the very
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: Washington officials that are investigating Beijing's influence in America, offering
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: thousands of dollars. It's the forty seven Morning Update and
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: it starts right now.
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: Story number one.
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: We have two very interesting stories that we're going to
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: start off with today, and a lot of it deals
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: with China and just how much they're trying to infiltrate
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: and being successful at it in this country, possibly stealing
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: major national security secrets and government information, as well as
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: influencing the towns that many of you are living in.
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: Perfect example of this is what we've just learned about
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: a celebrated democrat, a female California mayor is now admitted
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: to being a secret spy for China, and she looks
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: very different to her photoshopped original images, which is part
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: of the story. Now. The mayor of the wealthy southern
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: California city has since resigned after admitting she secretly acted
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: as an agent for the Chinese government. According to the
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: federal plea agreement that was unsealed on Monday, the former
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: Arcadia mayor out side of la her name was Wang,
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: She's fifty eight, and she agreed to plead guilty to
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: felony charge of acting as an illegal foreign agent for
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: the People's Republic of China and helping push pro Beijing
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: propaganda inside the US. Now, you may ask yourself, why
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: would they want a random mayor. Well, let's be clear,
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: China wasn't getting a random mayor. They were getting a
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: mayor of a very wealthy suburb of la and that
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: is exactly how she could help push pro Beijing propaganda
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: not only inside the US, but also with those that
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: have so much influence over our culture in Los Angeles. Now,
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: the interesting part about the crime that she's been charged
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: with is it carries a sentence of up to ten
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: years in federal prison. The stunning case prompted immediate fallout
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: in Arcadia, where city officials confirm Wang stepped down from
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: both the city council and the mayor's office on Monday.
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: Federal Prosecuersang spent years, let me say it again, years
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: working under the direction of Chinese government officials before rising
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: into elected office in Los Angeles County. They also claim
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: she used a Chinese language news website to distribute propaganda
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: favorable to Beijing while secretly coordinating with officials tied to
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: the Chinese Communist Party. This wasn't a low level operation,
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: this was full influence on the Communist Party in China.
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: Authorities described the website as a fake news platform specifically
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: targeting Chinese Americans, and that's where they find many of
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: their spies. Now, the case is also triggered intense scrutiny
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: of Wang's carefully crafted public image. Again, China plays at
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: a different level. They've gone pro is the best way
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: I can describe it. Campaign photos and promotional images used
• 3:55
  Speaker 2: during her political rise depicted Wang and heavily polished and
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: retouched portraits that projected a glamorous and approachable persona to
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: the voters. I'll go back to the core point here,
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: China has gone pro in influencing America.
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: Now.
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: The unedited public images reveal a stark contrast to the
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: stylized campaign photographs that once appeared across city political materials
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: and social media. Her dramatic downfall came just hours after
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: the City of Arcadia announced Wang's resignation from the city
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: Council and her departure as the mayor. As a May eleventh,
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: twenty sixteen, Wang resigned from the Arcadia City Council, vacating
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: her position as mayor, the city said in a simple
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: statement posted online. Now. In its next meeting, the city
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: council says they will select a new mayor and a
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: Mayor pro tem from among the remaining council members, and
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: we'll begin discussing how Arcadia is District III will be
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: represented until next year's election cycle in November. Wang was
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: to the Arcadia City Council in twenty twenty two and
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: later elevated to mayor through the city's rotating leadership system.
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: According to the Department of Justice, however, Wang's ties to
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: Chinese officials stretched back well before she ever took office,
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: which is exactly how they have so much influence in
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: America right now. Federal authorities say that from late twenty
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: twenty through twenty twenty two, Wang worked alongside her then
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: fiance under the direction and control of officials tied to
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: the Chinese government. Together, prosecutors say they operated the website
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: called US News Center, which presented itself as a legitimate
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: Chinese American news outlet, while allegedly serving as nothing more
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: than a propaganda vehicle for Beijing, specifically to have major
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: influence in the US. According to the court filings, Chinese
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: officials sent Wang's articles and directives through the encrypted messaging
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: app we Chat, instructing her and others to publish content
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: that would be favorable to the Chinese Communist Party. One
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: of the most explosive examples outlined in the plea agreement
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: involved propaganda denying allegations of genocide and forced labor in China.
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: On June tenth, twenty twenty one, at Chinese government official
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: also allegedly sent Wang a pre written article. It was
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: titled China's stance on the of course forced labor issue.
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: Now there is no genocide. It started with, there is
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: no such thing as forced labor in any production activity,
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: including cotton production. Spreading such rumor as to defame China
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: and destroy the safety and stability the message rate, according
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: to prosecutors, now we all know that there are many
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: people that are actually yes slaves and slave labor in China,
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: like the Wigers, which is a huge problem for China
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: because the world knows that many of them are enslaved
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: against their will and being abused as we speak now.
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: The court document also says that Wang immediately reposted the
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: Chinese Communist Party propaganda to her website literally within minutes,
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: and then immediately sent the official link proving that it
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: had been published in America. So fast, Thank you everyone,
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: the official responded. Authorities say Wang repeatedly reported analytics and
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: audience engagement data back to Chinese officials after publishing the
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: propaganda articles for years in the US. In one August
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: twenty twenty one exchange side in the plea agreement, Wang
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: sent screenshots showing an article had to receive more than
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: fifteen thousand views After officials requested edits to the story
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: saying great. The official responded, according to the prosecutors, thank you, Leader,
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: Wang replied, Now, Federal prosecutor say Wang never disclosed that
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: the Chinese government was directing the content appearing on her website.
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: The case became even more alarming to investigators because Wang
• 7:59
  Speaker 2: ultimate he has sent it into public office. Now this
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: isn't the only story that should be shocking you right now,
• 8:06
  Speaker 2: which brings me to part two of what I was
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: saying about just how concern you should be about what's
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: happening with China. We now know from a New York
• 8:15
  Speaker 2: Times report that their headline pretty much says it all. Quote,
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: he offered a lawmaker's aid quick cash. Was he spying
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: for China? A staff member on the House China Committee
• 8:29
  Speaker 2: was promised ten thousand dollars for US policy insights on
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: issues like Venezuela and rare earth minerals. When a man
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: identifying himself as Chris Chen reached out this winter to
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: an aid on the House Committee focus on threats from China.
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: He came armed with a lucrative offer. The staff member,
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: mister Chen proposed could earn ten thousand or more by
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: barely lifting a finger. All he would need to do
• 8:58
  Speaker 2: is agreed to phone calls every other week to share
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: information about the committee's work and US foreign policy about China.
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: Insights into US trade or national security issues, including the
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: Trump administration's planned for Venezuela and the aftermath of the
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: January military operation there would be especially valuable, mister Chen said.
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: To sweeten the pot, mister Chen reportedly promised to send
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: the AID two thousand dollars up front. The offer seemed
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: too good to be true. Instead of quietly accepting the deal,
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: the aid, whose identity The New York Times agreed to
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: withhold because he works on sense of policy issues related
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: to China, reported to his bosses on the House Select
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. The panel quickly concluded
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: mister Chen was not the Singapore based business consultant he
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: claimed to be, but instead likely a Chinese intelligence officer
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: or contractor seeking a new recruit. By framing the initial
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: offers a quote trial period. We learned mister Chang dangled
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: the expectation of a longer relationship, obviously with more payments
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: to come. It's a common recruitment offer to hook up
• 10:10
  Speaker 2: spies with real cash for those that are willing to
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: just drop a little information now. Rather than cut off contact,
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: the committee's Republican majority staff agreed to keep talking to
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: mister Chen. They record a series of calls this winter
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: to learn more about mister Chen's tactics as well as
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: his interests. Transcripts to those calls, which the Committee shared
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: with The Times, alongside some of the recorded audio, depict
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: a determined and at times impatient individual eager to earn
• 10:42
  Speaker 2: the trust of his mark and get down to business,
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: meaning having results for the Chinese Communist Party. Mister Chin
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: mixed holiday greetings with elaborate questions about manufacturing, for example,
• 10:56
  Speaker 2: in Vietnam and Mexico, as well as the future Venezuela's
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: oil industry. Now, what's truly incredible about this story is
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: the fact that the outreach by mister Chin to an
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: aid on the very committee that's responsible for investigating Chinese
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: national security threats appears to provide an unusually vivid portrait
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: of how Beijing spy services seeks to gain access to
• 11:24
  Speaker 2: sense of information from within the corridors of the power
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: in Washington. We also know about Chinese spies that are
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: sleeping with well former members of Congress while they were
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: in Congress. You may remember the guy from California that
• 11:38
  Speaker 2: was well sleeping with Fang Fang, the Chinese spy. We
• 11:43
  Speaker 2: also found out there was another Chinese spy that for years,
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: actually decades, was driving around a top Democratic senator. So
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: if you think this is a one off, it's not.
• 11:53
  Speaker 2: The scary part is right now there's hotelling how many
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: people are willing to take money from China to sell
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: out the United S's of America within our government all
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: over the country.
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to the forty seven Morning Update
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: with Ben Ferguson. Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: you're listening to this podcast right now and for more
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: in depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson podcast
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: and we will see you back here tomorrow.