House committee pressures nonprofits alleged to promote Chinese propaganda to turn over records

Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, sent letters to the legal counsel for three nonprofits the committee alleges have ties to the Chinese Communist Party, demanding they turn over documents related to their fiscal sponsorships involving foreign nationals or foreign entities, as well as communications with former U.S. tech mogul Neville Roy Singham. In a statement, Smith said that Singham had poured millions of dollars into The People’s Forum, BreakThrough News, and Tricontinental, which he alleged are being used to promote CCP propaganda. 
“They have thus far refused the Committee’s request to provide information pursuant to our oversight role and responsibilities, and they are now defying congressional subpoenas. Either these organizations turn over the documents, or their leaders will answer the Committee’s questions under oath,” Smith said. 
Smith demanded records from the three nonprofits, and all three refused to comply. According to the committee’s accounts, attorneys for the organizations argued that the committee lacked a sufficiently clear legislative purpose, improperly invoked the Foreign Agents Registration Act and infringed on First Amendment rights. BreakThrough News also invoked freedom-of-the-press protections, Fox News reported in July. 
After the groups failed to produce the requested documents, the committee subpoenaed all three in July. The latest letters give the entities until Oct. 20 to comply, warning that a failure to meet the deadline will result in “more aggressive oversight actions.” 
“Foreign adversaries must not be allowed to exploit America’s tax code to hide or spread their agenda. Republicans will keep working to shut down every avenue the Chinese Communist Party uses to sow chaos in our communities,” Smith said. 

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