Published in partnership with Shadowproof.
An FBI investigation into campaign donations received by Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe for his 2013 campaign for governor connects to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The donations in question involve a Chinese businessman and delegate for Chinese Communist Party named Wang Wenliang. Wenliang, despite being a Chinese citizen, donated $120,000 to McAuliffe’s campaign. Though foreign citizens are not legally permitted to give money to US politicians, Governor McAuliffe has defended the donations on the grounds that Wnliang had a green card at the time.
McAuliffe, a long time friend of the Clinton family, not only solicited and accepted donations from Wenliang himself, but introduced Wenliang to former Secretary Clinton. McAuliffe extended to Wenliang an invitation to Clinton’s home in 2013 where he met Hillary and Bill Clinton.
Wenliang later gave the Clinton Foundation $2 million and met separately with former President Bill Clinton at least once.
The Clinton Foundation—a constant source of problems for Hillary Clinton—received federal subpoenas last fall related to a State Department investigation into projects Clinton approved, which benefited the foundation’s donors.
The Clinton Foundation solicited and received donations from countries with an interest in her decisions while Hillary Clinton served as secretary of state. Perhaps most problematically, the Saudi royal family made contributions to the Clinton Foundation as the Clinton-led State Department approved a deal for one of the largest US arms sales to the Saudis in history.
For his part, Governor McAuliffe is taking an aggressive public relations approach to the FBI investigation in hopes of muddying the waters, but it remains to be seen whether or not the people of Virginia will see yet another one of their governors face corruption charges, so soon after the conviction of former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell.
Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, is doing her best to avoid the issue, as she is preoccupied dealing with other federal investigations.