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The Washington Post
By Laura Vozzella and Simon Denyer
September 16, 2016

$2 million Chinese Donor to Clinton Foundation, caught up in Chinese cash-for-votes scandal

Wang Wenliang, a Chinese billionaire and donor to the Clinton Foundation and Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, has been expelled from China’s top legislature after being caught up in a widespread cash-for-votes scheme. On Tuesday, China’s national legislature expelled 45 of its nearly 2,900 members, all from the northeastern province of Liaoning, in a huge vote-buying scandal. The move was part of an investigation into corruption in Liaoning and a much larger national anti-corruption campaign launched by President Xi Jinping.

Wang, who made his fortune in construction and running a strategic port near the North Korean border, also has been a big donor to New York University, Harvard University and the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

Wang’s $2 million donation to the Clinton Foundation in 2013 made waves when it was disclosed last year because of his ties to the Chinese government. More recently, his name surfaced amid news that McAuliffe (D) was the subject of an FBI investigation.

McAuliffe expressed confidence in May that Wang, who gave a combined $120,000 to his 2013 gubernatorial campaign and 2014 inauguration, was a “legitimate donor.” [McAuliffe in ‘shock’ over FBI investigation of campaign money, personal finances]

A spokesman for Wang said his ouster was the result of a political “purge” carried out on behalf of Xi. “They get rid of people who are not part of his team,” spokesman Sig Rogich said.

He said Wang and the others ousted had only “lobbied decision-makers” with meals and token gifts. “He wined and dined them and gave them a gift,” Rogich said. “It’s not like they gave them cash.” On Friday, McAuliffe’s attorney, James W. Cooper, said the governor “knows nothing about Mr. Wang and his legal situation in China.”

Spokesmen for the Clinton campaign and the Clinton Foundation did not respond to requests for comment.

Wang’s construction conglomerate, Rilin Enterprises, controls the Port of Dandong and processes significant volumes of soybeans shipped out of Virginia. He was courted in 2011 by Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R), who encouraged Wang’s firm to buy 100,000 metric tons of soybeans from Maryland-based Perdue Agribusiness and ship them from Chesapeake, Va., to China.

Wang’s company also helped build the new Chinese Embassy in Washington, assembling and overseeing a team of artisans who would be loyal to both the Chinese government and the principles of feng shui. “There’s a lot of security involved,” Rogich said. “They’re also artistically knowledgeable about what the Chinese want. There’s a lot of feng shui that goes into this, evidently — depictions of the four seasons. . . . Certain colors are not allowed.”

Wang’s $2 million pledge to the Clinton Foundation drew attention last year, first from CBS News and then other outlets, because of his connections to the Chinese government — both as a member of the National People’s Congress and as a contractor entrusted to help build China’s embassies around the world.

Wang’s political donations to McAuliffe reflect sizable overlap in Clinton and McAuliffe donors. Critics say the pattern suggests contributions to McAuliffe, a close friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton’s, are intended to curry favor with a former president and an aspiring one. McAuliffe supporters say the overlap is the natural outgrowth of personal and political bonds the governor has forged over a long career as a Clinton fundraiser.

LINK [Scores of Clinton donors pumped millions into McAuliffe coffers]

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