- Feng Feng, also known as Christine Feng, immersed herself in the politics of the two areas and slept with at least two Midwestern mayors as part of a years-long Chinese intelligence campaign, an Axis investigation found.
- Axios said she repressed. He also funded Eric Swavel and Tulsi Gabbard, both of whom ran in the 2020 Democratic Presidential primary.
- The outlet said Feng returned to China in mid-2015 during an FBI investigation into his activities and that he had been in the U.S. Not back again.
- Feng’s story shows that Beijing goes on to influence American politics, warming up with politicians early in his career so that he can influence them later.
- The Axis story was released a day after President Donald Trump retweeted a video showing a Chinese professor saying, “We have people at the top in America’s main circle of power and influence.”
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A woman suspected of being a Chinese spy has been arrested in at least two U.S. cities. She slept with the mayor and approached several politicians in the Bay Area in a multi-year intelligence campaign aimed at influencing American officials early in her career.
Feng Feng, also known as Christine Feng, was heavily involved in Bay Area and national U.S. politics from 2011 to 2015.
Two U.S. delegates, Feng, reported that funding had been provided for Eric Swavel and Tulsi Gabbard – both Democratic presidential candidates in 2020.
B. Alan-Ibrahimiyan (@ Bethany len lan Abr) December 8, 2020
Ios Xioz reported that Svelwell had not been charged with wrongdoing, and a current U.S. intelligence official said Svelwell had cut ties with Feng as soon as he became concerned about his ties to China.
Gabbard’s representative told Axios that Gangbard had “no recollection of ever meeting or talking with Feng”.
Axios said Feng had abruptly left the US in mid-2015 during an FBI investigation into his activities and had not returned to the US. The Justice Department has not filed any charges against him.
Feng’s story shows that China’s strategy is to target incoming politics to impress them over the years when they get more names.
B. Alan-Ibrahimiyan (@ Bethany len lan ab) December 8, 2020
Axios said he spoke with four current and former U.S. intelligence officials about the case, as well as 22 current and former elected officials, political activists and alumni who know Feng.
Here is a summary of the outlet’s report:
- Friends and acquaintances said that when Feng was in the U.S. Came in and was admitted to California State University East Bay in 2011 when she was in her late 20s or early 30s.
- Feng used his position as president of school groups to cultivate relationships with politicians.
- The report said Feng “soon became the mainstay of the two area’s political programs,” volunteered in the campaign, and helped raise money for Democratic politicians such as Svelwell and Gabbard, the report said.
- Feng began approaching Svelwell when he was councilor for Dublin City, California. He developed a ga to relationship with his office fees, helped bring in large donors and even placed internships in his fees in Washington DC.
- Feng expanded his network nationally by attending conferences for the mayor, sources told Axis.
- A U.S. intelligence official and a former elected official said Feng had engaged in sexual or romantic relationships with at least two mayors of Midwestern cities, although Axioz did not identify the mayor.
- Former Cupertino mayor Gilbert Wong told Axios that one of the mayors was an “obscure city” old man who identified Feng as his “girlfriend” in the conversation.
- A sexual encounter involving Feng and the Ohio mayor was also caught on FBI surveillance, a U.S. official told Axios.
- Fant came on the radar of anti-US officials as they investigated another man suspected of being a Chinese spy, a current anti-US official said.
- Feng was placed under FBI surveillance, and in 2015, U.S. intelligence officials began to approach politicians, Feng said, an official said.
- In mid-2015, Feng abruptly left the US and returned to China, much to the surprise of many of his two area political contacts. He has not returned since.
- U.S. officials do not believe Feng receives or passes on classified information. But a senior U.S. intelligence official said the case was “huge” because “some really, really sensitive people were caught in the intelligence network.”
The Axis report was released on Tuesday, a day after President Donald Trump Retweeted Tucker Carlson reports with a video showing a professor in Beijing saying “we have people at the top in America’s main inner circle of power and influence.”
Last week, Trump’s spy chief, John Ratcliffe, director of national intelligence, said in an op-ed article in the Wall Street Journal that China was “the biggest threat to America today.”
Ratcliffe wrote that “this year China is taking part in a massive influence campaign that includes targeting Congress and several dozen members of Congress aides.”
Bill Ivanina, director of the U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center, also said last week that China was already targeting President-elect Joe Biden and his team.
