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Lobbyists for CCP-tied EV company funneled cash to Democrats after filing as foreign agents

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Individuals at a law firm registered as foreign agents to lobby on behalf of Gotion, a Chinese electric vehicle battery company developing a controversial project in Michigan, and wired campaign contributions to several top Democrats.

According to state and federal filings, Monique Field-Foster, an attorney at the Lansing office of the Warner Norcross + Judd law firm who is acting as a foreign agent on behalf of Gotion, donated to the campaigns of Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Whitmer’s sister Liz Gereghty and Michigan Democratic Senate hopeful Rep. Elissa Slotkin

A second attorney at the firm, Madelaine Lane, who works out of the firm’s Grand Rapids office and prepared its foreign filings, also contributed to Gov. Whitmer’s campaign.

An April Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filing with the Department of Justice shows the firm was hired to represent Gotion, a California company whose parent is based in Hefei, China. The firm said it would perform real estate acquisitions, file applications for land rezoning and attend public rezoning hearings on behalf of Gotion.

MICHIGAN DEMOCRAT SIGNED NDA INVOLVING CCP-TIED COMPANY, DOCUMENTS SHOW, CONTRADICTING HER PAST CLAIMS

Gretchen Whitmer

Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit Sept. 14, 2022. Whitmer has repeatedly stood by the Gotion project. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

Whitmer announced in October 2022 that Gotion agreed to invest $2.4 billion in two 550,000-square-foot production plants and other supporting facilities spanning 260 acres in Mecosta County, Michigan. Months later, a top Michigan Senate panel controlled by Democrats voted 10-9 to award $175 million in taxpayer funding for the project.

“Gotion’s $2.36 billion investment creating 2,350 good-paying jobs in Big Rapids is the biggest ever economic development project in Northern Michigan and will shore up our status as the global hub of mobility and electrification,” Whitmer, who has been among the loudest proponents of the project, said Oct. 5.

However, the Mecosta County project has faced significant pushback from locals, former State Department officials and Republicans who say Gotion’s parent company, Gotion High-Tech, poses a national security risk. 

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Gotion High-Tech’s corporate bylaws say the company is required to “carry out Party activities in accordance with the Constitution of the Communist Party of China.” Further, the company’s 2022 ESG report states Gotion High-Tech “carried out thematic education activities such as the study of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, red theme education, and love for students.” 

Following Warner Norcross + Judd’s FARA filing in April, Monique Field-Foster, who is listed as an executive partner at the firm, which describes her as an “experienced lobbyist,” pushed contributions to Rep. Slotkin’s campaign and the campaign for Liz Gereghty, Whitmer’s sister running for a House seat in New York.

Field-Foster contributed $250 to Gereghty May 10 before sending another $250 to Slotkin June 29, Federal Election Commission filings show. 

Michigan Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin

Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., speaks during a news conference in 2021. Slotkin accepted a donation from a lawyer registered to lobby for a Chinese Communist Party-linked green energy firm. (Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Field-Foster is one of five lawyers at Warner Norcross + Judd registered to represent Gotion, according to the firm’s April FARA filing. Her services for Gotion were listed as “communications with Office of the Governor, State legislature and State departments to educate and advocate to state officials and decision makers on proposed battery project in Mecosta county.”

Meanwhile, in January 2022, Slotkin, who is widely favored to win the Democratic nomination for the open Senate seat in Michigan next year, signed a five-year non-disclosure agreement with the state Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) barring her from sharing certain details about ongoing development projects in Michigan. 

BIDEN’S AMBITIOUS EV PLANS COULD MAKE US MORE DEPENDENT ON CHINESE SUPPLY CHAINS, EXPERTS WARN

Shortly after the Gotion project was announced in October 2022, Slotkin’s hush agreement was updated to include “any potential Development Project identified as confidential.” Gotion entered into a confidentiality agreement with the MEDC in December 2021.

“As we have told Fox News for months, Congresswoman Slotkin has never had any involvement with the Gotion project — period. She has never signed an NDA relating to any Gotion project,” a spokesperson for Slotkin told Fox News Digital in a statement. “She learned of their pending project in Michigan when it appeared in the press.

“She doesn’t take corporate PAC money, and therefore has never received a donation from Gotion. This continued story line is simply a dishonest political attack.”

The spokesperson declined to comment on whether Slotkin would return the campaign contribution from Field-Foster. Slotkin has largely been silent on the Gotion project.

Elissa Slotkin, inset, car assembly line left, Xi Jinping right

Slotkin signed a non-disclosure agreement to include “any potential development project identified as confidential.” The Gotion project has been confidential since late 2021. (Getty Images)

Additionally, in 2022, Field-Foster made three donations totaling $1,600 to Whitmer’s gubernatorial campaign. Whitmer received another $1,100 in May 2022 from Lane, a senior attorney at Warner Norcross + Judd who executed the firm’s FARA filing earlier this year.

“We have attorneys who support candidates and politicians on both sides of the aisle,” a spokesperson for Warner Norcross + Judd told Fox News Digital. “That support has nothing to do with our representation of clients.”

CHINESE TECH COMPANIES ARE EXPLOITING US GREEN ENERGY GOALS, FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS WARN

Warner Norcross + Judd’s PAC has also contributed to Gov. Whitmer’s campaigns. The PAC sent at least $4,000 in donations during the most recent election cycle in 2022.

The firm’s PAC contributed another $2,400 to state campaigns for Curtis Hertel, who served in the Michigan state Senate from 2015 until January and announced in July that he would run for the House seat left vacant by Slotkin. While a state senator, Hertel and a top staffer signed hush agreements with MEDC in 2021 to talk about the Gotion deal.

workers in Chinese factory

Workers assemble electric vehicles at a factory in the Shanxi Province of China March 28. (VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

According to Warner Norcross + Judd’s FARA filing, Hertel, who also served as Whitmer’s director of legislative affairs before stepping down in late June, had multiple conversations with the firm about Gotion’s proposed project to gather “background concerns raised during [a] Senate Appropriations hearing” in April.

Then, in June, before Hertel announced he would run for Congress, the firm’s PAC donated $250 to his campaign committee.

SENATE GOP UNLEASHES CAMPAIGN BLASTING DEM CANDIDATE FOR HUSH AGREEMENT INVOLVING CCP-TIED COMPANY

“Michigan Republicans want to kill good-paying American jobs that Governor Whitmer has worked hard to bring to Michigan,” Tommy Kubitschek, a spokesperson for the Michigan Democratic Party, told Fox News Digital. “The truth is Democrats are fighting to build industry in America with American workers while Republicans want to keep outsourcing jobs to China.

“Remember, this is the same Republican Party that wanted to let the auto industry go bankrupt during the recession,” he added. “If Republicans want to keep jobs in China, they should get out of American policymaking.”

Warner Norcross + Judd’s PAC, however, has given thousands to committees on both sides of the political aisle. For example, the PAC cut a $5,000 check to the Michigan Senate Republican Campaign Committee in 2022 and has routinely given to that committee over the years. 

No Republican lawmakers have advocated for the Gotion project. 

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As of this month, Warner Norcross + Judd remains the sole law firm in Michigan hired to lobby on behalf of Gotion. Prior to the FARA registration in April, Gotion paid Warner Norcross + Judd nearly $52,000 for its services.

Whitmer’s office, and the campaigns for Hertel and Gereghty did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/lobbyists-ccp-tied-ev-company-funneled-cash-democrats-filing-foreign-agents

Politics

Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC backs candidate who signed ‘Black New Deal’ demanding reparations

The House’s leading progressive political arm is throwing its weight behind a candidate who signed onto a “Black New Deal” that contained radical demands such as reparations, eliminating school officers and stopping criminal enforcement during the pandemic, Fox News Digital has found.

The Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, whose House counterpart is guided by Reps. Pramila Jayapal of Washington and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, wired $5,000 to California Democrat candidate Lateefah Simon’s campaign in early August, according to recently released filings. 

Simon is the first 2024 candidate the group endorsed. She’s attempting to fill Democrat Rep. Barbara Lee’s seat, who is running for the U.S. Senate.

“With more than a quarter century of work organizing for civil rights and social justice, Lateefah Simon is a proven leader and the best candidate to represent California’s 12th congressional district,” the PAC’s co-chairs, including Jayapal, wrote in their endorsement. “Lateefah’s track record speaks for itself – she has effected material change in her community, championing critical progressive priorities like transit justice, economic equality, and women’s rights.”

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Lateefah Simon

Lateefah Simon, a longtime progressive activist, is running for Congress in California’s 12th District. (Lea Suzuki / San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images / File)

Simon, who Vice President Harris tapped to lead an initiative to reduce youth recidivism rates as San Francisco’s district attorney, is a longtime Oakland and Bay Area political activist and organizer.

The Democrat hopeful joined a cadre of liberal activists who used the pandemic to make extreme requests on public officials.

According to a letter on Justice Teams Network, which seeks to eradicate all forms of “State violence” and “criminal acts” against prisoners, the far-left coalition sought to implement dozens of radical initiatives.

In May 2020, Simon signed the letter alongside the likes of former Black Lives Matter leader Patrisse Cullors, which they had sent to elected and appointed officials with regard to concerns about how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted “Black people inequitably in Oakland and what the long-term consequences will be.”

It contained a link to its “Black New Deal,” which Simon had also co-signed, and stated that they remained committed to implementing those demands. The deal includes its most extensive list of orders, including “reparations for Black people,” which it categorizes as a long-term demand.

ILHAN OMAR CALLS ISRAEL LOBBY AIPAC A ‘RIGHT-WING’ PAC FUNDED BY ‘DARK MONEY’

Pramila Jayapal

Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal acts as a co-chair of their PAC. (Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images / File)

To the group, reparations include a laundry list of items such as “debt forgiveness, free education, free healthcare, enforcement of CA Slavery Era Insurance Registry & similar local slavery era disclosure ordinances including mandatory reporting, imposition of maximum fines & penalties, mandatory fund contribution from companies that have disclosed already, and distribution of funds to Black-led organizations serving Black populations.”

“Possibly even expand law to include profiteers from the housing/financial crisis and carceral systems,” the group wrote.

The Black New Deal also pushed for the likes of removing police from schools and ending cash bail. During the pandemic, specifically, the group wanted the “decarceration” of prisons, “ceasing police use of pandemic to conduct raids” and no National Guard or military enforcement, among other radical requests.

The Community Ready Corps and The Anti Police-Terror Project convened “a range of Black leaders” to develop the letter and its vast list of far-left demands.

Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota

Rep. Ilhan Omar co-chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus. (Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images / File)

Simon currently serves on the Bay Area Rapid Transit board of directors and is one of three candidates that the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC has endorsed for the 2024 election cycle, according to its website.

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During the 2022 election cycle, the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC raised more than $4 million and helped elect 17 people to Congress, the group says.

Simon’s campaign and the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC did not respond to a request for comment.

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Politics

Hold Biden accountable for broken border; impeach Mayorkas

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President Joe Biden’s dereliction of duty at the southern border is quite literally, destroying innocent American lives — and has the potential to put thousands more at risk.  

The situation at the southern border has degraded for years, if not decades. Yet, it shows signs, after four years of marked improvements under President Donald Trump’s administration, of sinking into a full-blown catastrophe.  

Americans are desperate for accountability, and it may be time for Congress to employ the full weight of constitutional action against the president and appropriate officials if they will not uphold their oaths of office. 

LEAKED IMAGES SHOW BIDEN ADMIN’S PLANNED ICE ID CARD FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Last month, it was revealed that the FBI has been attempting to track down members of a group of illegal migrants who were allowed to enter the country after requesting asylum. It was not until Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials cleared these migrants (as is standard protocol for thousands of illegal aliens every day), that the FBI discovered the connection of an ISIS-affiliated smuggler who was facilitating these travelers’ journey into the United States.  

Mayorkas grilled by the House Judiciary Committee

Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), speaks during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. The hearing is titled “Oversight of the US Department of Homeland Security.”  (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The FBI and other officials will tell everyone that this situation is proof that the system works, and that the federal government will eventually find out who is a potential threat to this nation and track them down in the homeland.  

However, Americans who have been witnessing the breakdown of law and order at the southern border know differently. The case of this ISIS-affiliated smuggler is likely one of countless security nightmares at the border taking place every month — and the Biden administration is allowing the chaos and lawlessness to get worse, not better. 

We know from U.S. Customs and Border Protection that the border patrol has encountered 146 suspected terrorists between ports of entry at the southern border just this fiscal year alone. This number is up from 98 in Fiscal Year 2022 and 15 in Fiscal Year 2021.  

There are also thousands of aliens who are arrested by border officials every year who have criminal records from previous stays in our country. Many of these criminals have committed very serious offenses in America, and yet they migrate back to our communities. 

Lest the government again inform you that the apprehension of these suspected terrorists and criminals is Exhibit A of the system working to perfection, the number of arrests from border officials is always a fraction of the total number of individuals crossing the border. 

Since Biden took the oath of office on January 20, 2021, more than 1.5 million illegal aliens (otherwise referred to as ‘gotaways’) have escaped apprehension by law enforcement, making their way into communities across the country.  

Their identities and motives are largely unknown to everyone in our government. There could very well be terrorists, gang members and hardened criminals setting up shop in a neighborhood near you — all due to the Biden administration’s refusal to enforce the laws and secure the border. 

With facts such as these, the debate over securing our border should be largely settled. All elected officials, regardless of their party affiliation, should desire to protect their constituents and come together to do what is right for our nation’s future.  

We know from U.S. Customs and Border Protection that the border patrol has encountered 146 suspected terrorists between ports of entry at the southern border just this fiscal year alone. This number is up from 98 in Fiscal Year 2022 and 15 in Fiscal Year 2021.  

Sadly, this has not been the United States’ reality for several years. Instead of upholding their oaths of office, politicians have decided to promote radical open-borders agendas that give complete deference to cartel killers over American boys and girls.  

The time for talk is now over. It’s clear that the Biden administration will not be moved from their acquiescence of lawlessness. Members of Congress have a constitutional obligation to hold this administration accountable and to show our constituents that we will do everything in our power to protect them and their communities.  

I’ve been supportive of efforts to impeach DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. His department is at the front lines of this border crisis, and his leadership has largely contributed to the utter collapse of the rule of law at our southern border. We may not be able to immediately turn around the border crisis, but we should assign guilt appropriately to whom it is due.  

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Biden wants to destroy America’s hunting, fishing heritage to satisfy the radical left

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In just three years under President Joe Biden, our hunting-and-fishing heritage is under attack in ways we could have never thought or imagined. 

Through the weaponization of federal agencies like the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and even the Department of Education, the Biden administration is pandering to the anti-hunting, anti-fishing extreme flank of supporters and launching an all-out assault on our outdoors way of life. 

With the help of Biden and the federal government, activists are pulling out all stops to not only chip away at our hunting-and-fishing heritage, but to abolish it altogether.  

SINEMA JOINS GOP SENATORS ON BILL TO REVERSE BIDEN ADMIN’S CRACKDOWN ON SCHOOL HUNTING, ARCHERY CLASSES

Maintaining their promises and commitments to extreme anti-hunting, anti-gun radicals, the Biden administration last year started a process to ban lead ammunition on federal public land. Through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, regulations were proposed that ban lead ammunition in national wildlife refuges across the country.  

father and son are hunting

President Theodore Roosevelt pioneered the North American model of conservation. Hunting and fishing remain a vital part of maintaining the outdoors. (iStock)

By all accounts, the action by the USFWS is the first step toward complete prohibition of lead ammunition and tackle on any public lands where you would hunt and fish. 

Earlier this year, the Biden administration blocked key federal funding under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) for schools with hunting and archery programs. This federal funding cut would negatively impact millions of American students who participate in those hunting and archery programs.  

According to the National Archery in the Schools Program, 1.3 million students from 9,000 schools across 49 states are enrolled in archery courses. The number of students participating in hunter education programs in our schools is even higher.

Beholden to radical activists, Biden’s Department of Education is depriving millions of kids of longstanding educational and enrichment programs that help foster relationships with role models, build self-esteem, and develop lifelong skills that last well beyond their school years.  

In fact, according to a Forbes report, many experts are warning that defunding hunting and archery programs will contribute to the current mental health crisis. 

While some try to downplay the federal government’s anti-outdoors agenda, the threat to our hunting and fishing way of life is very real. 

It is abundantly clear that the activists who want to put an end to our outdoor heritage are determined, but they should be warned: so are we. 

We won’t take this lying down. We are resolved. And we are willing to fight. 

The Biden administration is taking the first step toward complete prohibition of lead ammunition and tackle on any public lands where you would hunt and fish. (iStock)

The International Order of T. Roosevelt is a proactive hunting-and-conservation foundation focused on protecting the rights of hunters and sustaining the North American model of wildlife conservation.  

Through our advocacy arm, T. Roosevelt Action, we are in statehouses around the country promoting the right to hunt and encouraging states to push back against this anti-hunting, anti-fishing radicalism by securing a constitutional amendment enshrining their sacred right to hunt and fish.  

Successfully establishing a right to hunt in every state will play a direct role in ensuring we can grow our sport, allow new hunters to join our ranks and protect the land that T. Roosevelt set aside for such use and charged us to use responsibly. 

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Did you know that less than half of the states in the U.S. have an explicit state constitutional right to hunt and fish? That’s right, just 23 states enjoy constitutional clarity affirming our outdoor heritage and confirming our God-given right to hunt and fish. 

T. Roosevelt Action is fighting for hunting and fishing freedom and is bound and determined to grow that number in the next couple of years. As part of that fight, we are engaging a blitz to strategically reach outdoors enthusiasts in four states, educating the public on their right to hunt and fish.  

We are working in Iowa, Ohio, Florida and South Dakota – all priority states with strong hunting-and-fishing traditions that currently lack a constitutional right to hunt and fish. 

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It was President Theodore Roosevelt who pioneered the North American model of conservation – the idea that conservation efforts are crucial to our hunting way of life, and that hunters and anglers are crucial to successful conservation. The fight against these anti-hunting and anti-fishing threats is just getting started.  

We will not allow these activists to dismantle and ultimately destroy Roosevelt’s great legacy. Join us in this fight. Stand in the arena with us and do the hard work necessary to protect your right to hunt and fish. Together, we can protect our outdoor heritage for future generations. 

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