Thread by @Pamacious

🚨“The Chinese government is massively engaged in maritime expansion as we have walked away from it,” he said in an interview. “There is going to come a crisis, and we are going to call upon the U.S. maritime industry, and it is not going to be around.”
nyti.ms/2JRCBjK

"This is a family with financial ties to a government that is a strategic rival... It raises a question about whether those familial and financial ties affect Chao when she exercises judgment or gives advice on foreign and national security policy matters that involve China."

"But without Congress putting up roadblocks, some of the Trump administration’s budgetary actions proposed during her tenure would have reduced federal funding for programs that support the shipbuilding industry and ships that operate under American flags."

"The agency budget in 2017 and 2018 also proposed reducing annual grants for the Maritime Security Program, which help American ships pay crews and cover the cost of meeting safety and training requirements."

"It also moved in the last three years to eliminate new funding for a grant program that helps small shipyards stay in business, as well as a program that provides loan guarantees for the construction or reconstruction of American-flagged vessels."

"But objections continue, including questions about why, despite repeated promises, Ms. Chao has not issued a detailed strategic plan for stabilizing the United States’ shrinking fleet."

"In an interview in April 2017, Ms. Chao was photographed with her father next to a Transportation Department flag. Her father told the reporter how he had traveled on Air Force One and discussed 'business' with the president."

"Marilyn L. Glynn, a former general counsel at the Office of Government Ethics, questioned Ms. Chao’s proximity to Foremost, saying she should recuse herself from decisions that broadly impacted the shipping industry."

"'She might be tempted to make sure her family company is not adversely affected in any policy choices, or it might even just appear that way,' Ms. Glynn said."

"Ms. Chao’s first trip to China as transportation secretary was made last April amid an escalating trade war, six months later than originally planned."

"The original trip had been described by the department as a 'bilateral meeting' with Ms. Chao’s Chinese counterpart to discuss disaster response, infrastructure and related subjects."

🤔Infrastructure?

Thread:

https://mobile.twitter.com/Pamacious/status/1135441844949663746

"Eight days before the planned start of the October 2017 trip, when contacted by The Times, Ms. Chao’s office said it could not provide a list of who would accompany her."

"But the embassy in Beijing had received requests to accommodate Ms. Chao’s family members, according to interviews with State Department officials involved in the planning, as well as a redacted email obtained by The Times through a public records lawsuit."

"Angela Chao said in the interview that she was already planning to be in Beijing to attend a Bank of China board meeting, and that her husband, the investor Jim Breyer, also had business in the Chinese capital.

💭Jim Brewer (Angela Chao's husband) is on Blackstone's board.

Blackstone recently landed $20 billion from the Saudis for infrastructure:
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

But she said she was unaware of her sister’s travel plans. Angela Chao was among the family members mentioned in the State Department discussions about the visit, according to a United States official.

"Other correspondence also signaled unease among American diplomats over whom Elaine Chao intended to take on the trip and the topics they would discuss with Chinese officials. Emails indicate that ethics lawyers in both the State and Transportation Departments weighed in."

"'They would not have raised a question like this about a cabinet secretary unless it was something really serious,' said Mr. Rank, the former deputy chief of mission in Beijing, who resigned in protest over the Trump administration’s environmental policy."

"Even this trip did not proceed entirely by the book. Ms. Chao broke with the standard practice for government employees and flew on a Chinese state airline instead of an American carrier... A less expensive ticket was available on a nonstop United flight..."

💭Why?

"A Windfall for Mitch McConnell

When a delegation of local Chinese Communist Party leaders visited Washington in 2017, Ms. Chao’s office arranged for them to be photographed with Ms. Chao and her father.

Her aides pulled another string."

"'U.S. Capitol Tour for VIP Guests,' read the subject line of an emailsent by Ms. Chao’s aides to the staff of her husband, Mr. McConnell.

The senator’s staff obliged, arranging an 'off limits' tour for Ms. Chao’s guests, who were visiting from the home region of her mother."

"'The delegation was thrilled to get the VIP treatment by your office and were particularly excited to hear that the leader’s office was normally off limits to normal guests,' an aide to Ms. Chao later wrote to Mr. McConnell’s staff."

💭 I'll bet!

"It was a small favor, but one that reflected the political partnership at the center of the marriage between Ms. Chao and Mr. McConnell."

💭25 years with this ghoul is quite an accomplishment. Imagine the dedication it must require. Dedication to whom?

"In 1989, shortly after their first date (at the Saudi ambassador’s home near Washington), Mr. McConnell was preparing for a re-election campaign."

💭 The Saudis who invested $20 billion in Blackstone's infrastructure initiative. Doesn't Chao oversee infrastructure?

"Over the next 30 years, the extended Chao family would be an important source of political cash for Mr. McConnell, himself one of the most formidable Republican fund-raisers in American politics."

"The extended Chao family is among the top donors to the Republican Party of Kentucky, giving a combined $525,000 over two decades."

💭 So McConnell rakes in from the Chinese and Russians (via Deripaska's business partner Blavatnik)

"One of Ms. Chao’s sisters, Christine, the general counsel at Foremost, was the second-biggest contributor to the super PAC Kentuckians for Strong Leadership in 2014. She gave $400,000 to the organization, which identified Mr. McConnell’s re-election as its highest priority..."

"In all, from 1989 through 2018, 13 members of the extended Chao family gave a combined $1.66 million to Republican candidates and committees, including $1.1 million to Mr. McConnell and political action committees tied to him, according to F.E.C. records."

"Mr. McConnell’s connection to the family was hard to miss when a reporter recently visited the Foremost headquarters in Manhattan. There, in the reception area, were two gray pillows emblazoned with the seal of the United States Senate."

💭Question: what have Chao and McConnell done in the interests of the United States and its people that didn't involve enriching themselves or foreign powers, especially hostile ones?

And how does that compare to what they've done to the benefit of foreign govs &/or themselves?

@threadreaderapp unroll

Cc: @waltshaub @PekingMike @EricLiptonNYT @KeithBradsher @suilee see thread for connection to Blackstone and $20 billion Saudi money for infrastructure. Elaine's sister Angela is married to Jim Brewer, who was appointed to Blackstone's board in 2016.

More on Angela Chao's husband, Jim Breyer.

Jim Breyer's connection to Facebook: web.archive.org/web/2014122912…

"Jim [Breyer] currently serves on the board of directors of Blackstone (BX), and has previously served as an investor/lead Director at 21st Century Fox, Dell, Etsy, Facebook, Marvel Entertainment, Wal-Mart, and many other highly successful technology..."
breyercapital.com/jim-breyer/

Jim Breyer's connection to Wickr, a messaging app backed by Erik Prince.
venturebeat.com/2014/06/26/sel…

Erik Prince's connection to Wickr: foreignpolicy.com/2017/09/14/why…

Blackstone Infrastructure Partners enters into definitive agreement to acquire controlling interest in Tallgrass Energy
blackstone.com/media/press-re…

Blackstone Infrastructure Said to Seek Minority Stake in Carrix
💠Seattle-based Carrix operates ports and rail yards globally
💠Fund formed after an unprecedented pledge from Saudi Arabia
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

reuters.com/article/us-bla…

seekingalpha.com/news/3363564-b…