Report Links Former Cabinet Secretary Elaine Chao to Chinese United Front Organizations
DCNF reporter Dylan Kresak said Elaine Chao held advisory positions in groups tied to China's United Front Work Department, which were not disclosed during her 2017 DOT appointment.
Dylan Kresak of one outlet News Foundation explained that an investigation uncovered three titles held by former cabinet secretary Elaine Chao within organizations affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Work Department. Records show she was named an adviser to the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese’s Jiading branch from 2012 to 2017 and served as honorary chairman of the Chinese Overseas Friendship Association’s Jiading council alongside her father from 2008 to 2017.
These roles, some beginning in the early 2000s, were not listed when she filed her 2017 disclosure for the Department of Transportation, despite her prior service as labor secretary (2001-2009) and later as transportation secretary (2017-2021). Chao’s spokesperson rejected the allegations as racist and provided no evidence to refute them. The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party has characterized the United Front Work Department as a blend of engagement, influence and intelligence activities aimed at shaping policy and acquiring technology. Kresak noted that Chao even responded personally to Chinese UFWD Christmas letters in 2005, indicating a longstanding personal connection.
Why it matters
The allegations raise concerns about potential foreign influence on a senior U.S. official with close ties to a leading senator.
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