Top Intelligence and Judiciary Committee Democrats on Friday wrote to the FBI, Secret Service and Director of National Intelligence asking them to investigate Cindy Yang, the south Florida businesswoman whose advertisements of her access to President Donald Trump came to light after Patriots owner Robert Kraft was arrested for allegedly soliciting prostitution in a spa she founded.
In addition to founding a chain of massage parlors “suspected of involvement in prostitution and human trafficking,” the Democrats wrote, Yang reportedly “created a business” — GY US Investments LLC, which TPM has covered — “that may be selling access to the President and members of his family to clients from China.”
“If true, these allegations raise serious counterintelligence concerns,” they added.
The letter was signed by Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), the vice chairman and ranking member of the Senate Intelligence and Judiciary Committees, respectively; and Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Jerry Nadler (D-NY), the chairs of the House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees, respectively.
Yang’s activities, the Democrats wrote, “could permit adversary governments or their agents access to these same politicians to acquire potential material for blackmail or other even more nefarious purposes.”
Over the weekend, The New York Times reported on a pattern of donations that implied Yang may have illegally used straw donors in order to raise the $50,000 needed to obtain a photo with Trump last year.
In addition to requesting criminal and counterintelligence probes of Yang, the Democrats asked the agency heads whether they knew of Yang before recent media reports on her, whether foreign national guests at Mar-a-Lago are vetted beforehand, the extent of Yang or her clients’ access to the first family, and whether the Trump campaign properly screened for foreign donations, among other questions.
In a joint statement following the letter, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said: “The facts in this situation are very concerning, and we urge Director Wray to adhere to the joint bicameral requests of the Democratic Senate ranking members and Democratic House chairmen and start an investigation.”
Mother Jones obtained and reported on the letter Monday. Read it below:
This post has been updated.
