Thread by @MiamiHerald

THREAD: Yesterday we were the first to report that federal authorities are investigating possible Chinese intelligence operations targeting President Trump and Mar-a-Lago.

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That investigation has been going on for at least several months. It focused on Chinese nationals doing business in South Florida while potentially gathering intelligence for China's government.

On Saturday, the probe took on higher urgency after Secret Service agents arrested a Chinese woman who tried to enter Mar-a-Lago with a thumb drive loaded with "malicious malware," plus four cellphones, an external hard-drive and a laptop.

The investigation has also recently focused on Cindy Yang, sources tell us. She's the massage parlor entrepreneur-turned-Republican fundraising event promoter.

We've been following these developments for the past few weeks. How are they all connected? Here’s what we know:

The woman arrested with malware was headed to an event advertised on Chinese social media by Yang. She said she wanted to use the club's pool, then said she wanted to discuss U.S.-China economic relations with a member of Trump's family, court records say. hrld.us/2YTduBx

She also said she had been invited by a friend "Charles" – a known associate of Yang's in peddling access to Trump. Charles Lee claims to be both a prince and a member of a U.N. association. Neither appear true.

Here's how Lee and Yang coordinate, as first reported by our team:

Yang has been making a name for herself by promoting her galas, selling them as opportunities for Chinese businessmen to gain face time with the Trump family. Lee bundled them into travel diplomacy packages sold in China.

A breakdown of how that worked: hrld.us/2YD6ND8

For example, a leader from the foreign arm of the Communist Party of China attended one of Yang’s Mar-a-Lago galas in 2018.

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Yang also brought two Chinese-born tech executives to take $50k photos with Trump at a December 2017 RNC fundraiser. Neither paid for their seat directly. Reimbursing anyone for a ticket without full-disclosure would be illegal. So who paid? hrld.us/2YR4qNd

Herald reporters @NickNehamas, @Blaskey_S, and @ceostroff will continue to cover this story as it develops.

Support their journalism by subscribing to the Miami Herald today. #ReadLocal hrld.us/2YQLEWg