Several top Democrats on the intelligence and judiciary committees are pushing for a new FBI investigation into a Florida woman accused of selling access to President Donald Trump and his administration.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) wrote a letter Friday to directors of national intelligence, the FBI and the Secret Service regarding recent reports about GOP donor Cindy Yang. The letter demands investigations into potential human trafficking, foreign lobbying and campaign finance violations linked to Yang, who also founded a chain of Florida massage parlors that have since drawn scrutiny for allegedly providing sexual services.
“If true, these allegations raise serious counterintelligence concerns,” the letter stated. “China has frequently used non-traditional intelligence collectors and businesspersons to compromise targets.”
Mother Jones reported earlier this month that Yang was allegedly selling Chinese investors access to Trump through GY US Investments LLC, a company belonging to her and her husband, Zubin Gong. The business offers fee-paying clients the “opportunity to interact with the president, the [U.S.] Minister of Commerce and other political figures” and arrangements for “White House and Capitol dinners,” according to a Mother Jones translation of the firm’s website (the website has since been taken down).
The letter also raised questions about Yang’s interactions with Trump, including her visits to the president’s Mar-a-Lago estate, the White House and his Super Bowl party this year at his West Palm Beach golf club.
“Although Ms. Yang’s activities may only be those of an unscrupulous actor allegedly selling access to politicians for profit, her activities could also permit adversary governments or their agents access to these same politicians to acquire potential material for blackmail or other even more nefarious purposes,” the letter read.
Yang first made headlines after the Miami Herald reported that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft had been charged with soliciting sex at a massage parlor in southern Florida as part of a sting operation investigating a human trafficking ring. Yang founded the spa that Kraft is accused of visiting, but sold her shares in the company years ago and was not charged. Kraft has pleaded not guilty.
Evan Turk, an attorney for Yang, did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a separate statement that the FBI should investigate the concerns Democrats outlined in their letter because the “facts in this situation are very concerning.”
The letter asked for FBI Director Christopher Wray, National Intelligence Director Dan Coats and Secret Service Director Randolph Alles to respond by Thursday to lawmakers’ concerns about Yang.
Read the full letter from top Democrats below: