Americans may know Elaine Chao as the former Bush and Trump-era cabinet official whose husband led the Senate Republican conference for more than two decades, but her involvement in government didn’t stop with roles in the United States. According to an explosive new Daily Caller News Foundation report, Chao “received at least four Chinese government positions since 2008.”
Several of these roles, first documented by the Chinese government and media, were in divisions of the “Chinese Communist Party (CCP) organ” the United Front Work Department (UFWD), which is known for its espionage and influence operations designed to sway global conversations and policy to align with CCP leader Xi Jinping’s political goals. The UFWD prides itself on co-opting Chinese nationals living overseas, particularly through “elite capture and public diplomacy,” to “advance Chinese influence, power and access to technology abroad.”
