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| Government Corruption |
| Commerce Secretary's Husband Is Top Executive at Tech Firm Funded by the Communist Chinese Government |
| 2021-12-15 |
| [WashingtonFreeBeacon] A venture capital firm backed by the Chinese government is a major investor in an artificial intelligence company that counts Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo's husband as a top executive, a potential conflict of interest as her agency works to counter China on the world stage. Danhua Capital, based in California but established with the financial backing of the Chinese Communist Party, is one of the main funders of PathAI, an artificial intelligence firm that employs Raimondo's husband, Andy Moffit, as its chief people officer. Danhua Capital has been invested in PathAI since at least 2017, when it joined five other funders to contribute $11 million worth of seed funding for the artificial intelligence startup. It is unclear how much Danhua Capital has invested in PathAI, a private company, but the Chinese firm lists PathAI on its website as one of its featured "biotech and health" investments. Danhua Capital was established and funded with the help of the Chinese government as part of its "penetration of Silicon Valley," according to a 2018 Reuters report on the firm. The Center for a New American Security (CNAS), a liberal think tank with former staffers now in the highest ranks of the Biden administration, testified to Congress in 2018 that Danhua Capital's mission is to use its capital to narrow the technology gap between China and the United States. Neither Raimondo nor PathAI responded to requests for comment on Danhua Capital's investment. As commerce secretary, Raimondo is tasked with managing the U.S. business relationship with countries across the globe, and she has emerged as one of the most pro-China voices in the administration. In a September Wall Street Journal interview, Raimondo said the United States should strengthen economic ties with China, arguing "robust" commercial engagement with China would "mitigate any potential tensions" with the global rival. The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Raimondo's agency was pushing back on efforts by others in the Biden administration to block Chinese technology firms from working with American companies. Commerce officials are arguing internally, according to the report, that the administration's tougher approach to China would hurt U.S. companies. Raimondo said on Thursday she would not urge U.S. companies to pull sponsorships from the upcoming Beijing Olympics after President Joe Biden announced a diplomatic boycott of the games over human rights abuses. "What individual companies do is entirely up to them," Raimondo said. "We’re not going to pressure them one way or another." Related: Gina Raimondo: 2021-01-28 Plugs Commerce Secretary Nominee Suggests They Might Break a Pretty Important Campaign Promise Gina Raimondo: 2021-01-27 Commerce Secretary Nominee Open to Raising Taxes to Fund Climate Change Agenda Gina Raimondo: 2020-03-29 Rhode Island Governor Tells New Yorkers They'll Hunt Them Down to Stop Wuhan Coronavirus Spread |
| Posted by:Ulomble Pholuger6722 |
| #1 Raimondo's agency was pushing back on efforts by others in the Biden administration to block Chinese technology firms from working with American companies Ho' Ho' Ho'! Merry Krissmiss, bitchez! - ChinaHo's'R'Us |
| Posted by: Merrick Ferret 2021-12-15 17:49 |