House GOP launches probe of China-based billionaire linked to protest groups, including anti-ICE agitators in LA
WASHINGTON — House Republicans launched an investigation Friday into a China-based billionaire purportedly backing left-wing protest groups in the US — including one linked to the anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) riots in Los Angeles — and asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to determine whether he was part of a larger Chinese Communist Party influence operation.
The reclusive Neville Singham, who was born in Chicago but lives with his activist wife Jodie Evans in Shanghai, 'may have acted as an agent for the CCP' through his support of the demonstrations, GOP members of the House Oversight Committee alleged in letters to the billionaire himself as well as Bondi that have been obtained by The Post.
Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Declassification Taskforce Chairwoman Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), who has threatened to subpoena Singham if he refuses to cooperate with their investigation, drew attention to the CCP's self-described 'Strategy of Sowing Discord' in the letters.
4 The reclusive Neville Singham was born in Chicago but lives with his activist wife Jodie Evans in Shanghai.
Getty Images for V-Day
'Under General Secretary Xi [Jinping], the CCP is known for its 'Strategy of Sowing Discord,' which 'refers to efforts to make internal disputes amongst the enemy so deep that they become distracted from conflict,'' Comer and Luna wrote in the letters, which were signed by 19 other Oversight GOPers.
'If you are, in fact, carrying out this strategy on behalf of the CCP, you may have a [Foreign Agents Registration Act] registration obligation. In addition, your funding and relationship with the PSL, which has been implicated in the violence and riots in Los Angeles, may violate other federal laws.'
The letters focus in particular on Singham's ties to the Party for Liberation and Socialism (PSL), as well as the People's Forum and the ANSWER Coalition, but request information about 16 other groups.
4 PSL has been involved in the Los Angeles-based demonstrations as well as other protests nationwide against federal immigration actions, according to public social media posts.
Toby Canham for NY Post
Public social media posts indicate PSL has been involved in the Los Angeles demonstrations as well as other protests nationwide against federal immigration actions, some of which have devolved into riots and property destruction.
The People's Forum and ANSWER Coalition have also helped organize large anti-Israel demonstrations in the US since the outbreak of Jewish state's war against Hamas in Gaza following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack.
'Reportedly, you have supported these groups with the aim of causing destruction and division in our country — including most recently through ongoing riots and violence in Los Angles, California,' the Oversight Republicans said in the letter to Singham.
4 The Oversight lawmakers asked Attorney General Pam Bondi if he was part of a larger Chinese Communist Party influence operation.
AP
'You have created an elaborate dark money network which allows you to send funds to a series of non-profits,' they added, 'that have almost no real footprints.'
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), now secretary of state, and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) had asked Biden's DOJ last year to look into any activities Singham may have been supporting 'on behalf of the CCP' to promote civil unrest in the US, the Oversight panel noted.
Both Singham, the founder of the software firm Thoughtworks and a purported admirer of Maoism, and Evans have denied working for the Chinese government, but have shared office space with the Maku Group — a CCP-promoting propaganda network.
4 'You have created an elaborate dark money network which allows you to send funds to a series of non-profits,' the GOP lawmakers added, 'that have almost no real footprints.'
Toby Canham for NY Post
Dark money nonprofits connected to Singham — including the United Community Fund and the Justice Education Fund — have also bankrolled Maku's operations, according to an extensive New York Times report cited by the Oversight panel.
'Maku's website shows young people gathering in Mr. Singham's office, facing a banner that reads, 'Always Follow the Party,' with an image of General Secretary Xi Jinping in the background,' the Republicans wrote.
'Moreover, it appears that Mr. Singham supports BreakThrough Media, a platform known for promoting pro-CCP talking points and geopolitical interests.'
Singham, 71, sold the tech company to a private equity firm for $785 million in 2017.
Evans, 70, co-founded the anti-war group Code Pink, which Republicans have also accused of ties to the Chinese government, and currently sits on the board of the People's Forum.
Alex Goldenberg, senior advisor to the National Contagion Research Institute, which tracks disinformation on social media platforms, previously told The Post: 'The Singham network operates as a coordinated movement incubator.'
The Post reached out to reps for Singham and the Justice Department for comment.
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