Fang Fang, also known as Christine Fang, embedded herself Newport box 100s menthol cigarettes in Bay Area politics and slept with two Midwestern mayors as part of a yearslong Chinese intelligence campaign, according to an Axios investigation.
She also fundraised for Reps. Eric Swalwell and Tulsi Gabbard, both of whom ran in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, Axios said.
According to the outlet, Fang returned to China in mid-2015 amid an FBI investigation into her activities. She has not returned to the Newport 100s Box US since.
Fang's story shows the lengths that Beijing goes to influence American politics — getting cozy with politicians early on in their careers so it can influence them later on.
Axios' story was published a day after President Donald Trump retweeted a video that purported to show a Chinese professor saying: "We have people at the top of America's core inner circle of power and influence. "A suspected Chinese spy slept with at least two US mayors and got close to numerous Bay Area politicians in a yearslong intelligence campaign directed at influencing American officials early in their careers, according to a new Newport Cigarettes Shop report from Axios.
Fang Fang, also known as Christine Fang, was heavily involved in Bay Area and national US politics from 2011 to 2015, the outlet reported.
Two of the candidates Fang reportedly fundraised for - Rep. Eric Swalwell and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard - both ran for president in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, Axios said.
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