In a revelation that has sparked controversy, footage from 2008 has surfaced showing New York Democratic Representative Grace Meng praising a high-ranking official of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Lin Jun, years before she assumed federal office.
The footage, scrutinized by the Daily Caller News Foundation, shows Meng and other Chinese community leaders welcoming Lin at a banquet in Queens, New York.
According to the Daily Caller, Meng referred to Lin as "our chairman," a title reflecting his position as the head of the All-China Federation Of Returned Overseas (ACFROC). The Department of Justice (DOJ) identifies ACFROC as an agency of a Chinese intelligence service known as the United Front Work Department (UFWD).
Meng, speaking in Mandarin, is heard saying, "My name is Meng Zhaowen. In January of next year, I will begin serving as a New York State Assembly member. Today, I specially welcome Chairman Lin to Flushings largest and newest building. Today, our Zhejiang overseas Chinese organization and everyone made [this banquet] very beautiful am I right? all for the sake of specially welcoming our Chairman Lin!" She further expressed gratitude to Chairman Lin for his leadership, stating, "Its my duty to represent the state government, overseas Chinese and our second generation overseas Chinese. [Im] especially grateful to Chairman Lin for taking care of us we really need your leadership!"
The footage also reveals a large red banner behind Meng, welcoming Lin and acknowledging his primary Chinese government position. However, there is no evidence to suggest that Meng is a member of ACFROC.
Before Meng's speech, Chairman Lin addressed the attendees, asserting, "We have a responsibility to care for the survival and development of overseas Chinese compatriots, and a responsibility to care for the difficulties everyone faces."
Steve Yates, a former Chinese language analyst for the National Security Agency, confirmed the accuracy of the translation of the footage, stating, "The translation is 100 percent accurate. Nothing lost. Nothing spun."
Despite numerous attempts, Meng did not respond to requests for comment. This silence has led to calls for her resignation, with Indiana Republican Representative Jim Banks stating, "Any member of Congress who is found to have had a working relationship with the Chinese Communist Partys United Front must resign immediately. I hope Democrats in Congress become more willing to condemn CCP infiltration of their party."
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Sun, a former employee of Meng, met with the heads of key groups linked to the United Front, including the U.S. Federation of Chinese-American Entrepreneurs and the Henan Association of Eastern America (HAEA). Meng held the position of "deputy chairwoman" at HAEA during the 2008 banquet and was later identified as "honorary chairwoman" in February 2012, just before launching her congressional campaign.
Federal authorities and China experts have warned about ACFROC's tactics to monitor and influence the Chinese diaspora in service of the CCP. ACFROC's Chairman Lin held several key positions within the CCP and was instrumental in establishing "overseas Chinese police stations" around the globe, which U.S. authorities warn the CCP uses to control the Chinese diaspora.
Former National Security Agency analyst Yates highlighted the political nature of ACFROC, stating, "The All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese is openly and very directly linked to the CCP, with an explicit mandate to influence overseas Chinese communities. It is not a cultural organization. It is political."
Yates further criticized Meng's public gratitude to a CCP leader, stating, "It is one thing for people to gather to celebrate their Irish, Polish, Indian, or even Chinese heritage. It is quite another to publicly thank a CCP leader for taking care of us in Flushing, New York. That is more than a little problematic."
The CCP, and particularly the UFWD, have been accused of attempting to take over ethnic Chinese civic organizations and transform them into vehicles for monitoring and controlling the Chinese diaspora. The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party has noted that the networks built by the UFWD are often viewed as prime operating grounds by the PRCs intelligence agencies, which seek to draw on members of United Front organizations to support espionage and influence operations.
Dr. June Teufel Dreyer, former commissioner of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, warned that ACFROC "can sponsor candidates for office, often but not all of them ethnic Chinese, who will then support the CCPs views when elected."
Solomon Yue, an Oregon Republican National Committee member, also expressed concern over the CCP's influence on the Chinese diaspora, stating, "Ive witnessed that the CCP uses carrot-and-stick methods to control the Chinese diaspora. The UFWD invites and pays for leaders of Chinatown associations to visit China. In return, those leaders facilitate the CCPs infiltration of America."
Yue concluded by emphasizing the threat posed by ACFROC, stating, "ACFROC is absolutely a national security threat to America." This controversy surrounding Meng's past praise for a CCP official underscores the need for vigilance in maintaining the integrity of American political institutions against foreign influence.
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