The FBI raids on James Su’s home and business in West Covina on July 28, probing alleged foreign influence in American democracy, is prompting one politician to donate campaign funds she received from the Chinese American media mogul.
Rep. Young Kim, R-Anaheim Hills, announced she will donate $5,200 she received from Su, including a $2,500 donation from 2021 and a $2,700 donation from 2018, to groups that support victims of human trafficking and prostitution.
Kim spokesperson Chris Pack said the congressmember chose to donate to Waymakers, through the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force, a group the congressmember has worked with for years.
“Since 2018, Young has raised more than $30 million from nearly 200,000 donors. The $5,200 in question were made years ago, and the campaign had no knowledge of the allegations now being reported about Mr. Su,” Pack added. “Once those allegations came to light, we proactively chose to donate the funds to remove any question of an association with her campaign.”
The Republican congresswoman is the first to divert donations she received from Su, a Beijing-born American citizen and co-founder of EDI Media Inc. in West Covina. His ties to San Bernardino County officials also implicated in the raids are part of an ongoing investigation FBI spokesperson Laura Eimiller said have been sealed by the court and that no arrests have been made.
On the same day agents arrived in West Covina, other federal officials raided a home affiliated with Ontario City Councilman Alan Wapner and the Chino Hills district office of San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman, to whom Su has made several donations over the years.
In 2015, Su faced federal scrutiny over covert Chinese state-backed radio broadcasts and political influence tied to a company he owned, prompting his firm to register as a foreign agent in 2022.
His lawyer, Andrew Cowan, has said he and his client have no information as to why the FBI decided to search his home and business, and that all of Su’s donations were public and lawful. Cowan did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
Federal election records show Su donated to politicians from Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, to the Republican National Committee as well as city leaders from both parties in Arcadia to West Covina. His media company, EDI Media Inc., also helped produce videos for local politicians and contributed to city programs in West Covina.
While he never accepted campaign donations from James Su, Councilmember Tony Wu said Su, his wife Slina and their company has supported local groups and initiatives, such as district afterschool programs.
Su donated $500 to the campaign of former Arcadia mayor Eileen Wang in 2022. Wang resigned in May and pleaded guilty to acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government. She faces up to 10 years in prison when she is sentenced on Oct. 6.
There is nothing improper or unlawful about Su’s donations, since he is a naturalized American citizen. Federal law prohibits contributions from foreign nationals in any federal, state or local election.
City officials in Arcadia and West Covina who received campaign contributions from Su and EDI Media Inc. did not respond to a request for comment. Councilmember Tony Wu of West Covina reiterated
Calvin Moore, spokesperson for Rep. Ken Calvert, who is running against Kim in November to represent the 40th Congressional District, said that Kim accepting money “from a registered Chinese foreign agent is deeply concerning.”
“She didn’t return the money because it was the right thing to do but because she got caught and the media started asking questions about her ties to Su,” Moore said in a statement. “Voters deserve an explanation as to why she turned a blind eye to foreign influence for years, and what other questionable cash she might be hiding.”
Pack, Kim’s spokesperson, publicly called on Calvert to match the $5,200 donation to the human trafficking victims support group.
“It’s pretty clear what Ken Calvert is trying to insinuate by suggesting Young Kim somehow has connections to the Chinese Communist Party, and these are exactly the kind of desperate campaign tactics we’ve come to expect from do-nothing career politicians like him,” Pack said. “The truth is that in her short time in Congress, Young has established herself as one of the leading critics of the CCP, to the point that the Chinese government has targeted her and publicly threatened her with arrest.”
Over the years, Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, has accepted more than $25,000 from Su and has appeared at his Chinese American Film Festival and other community events. She has said she is waiting for more information from federal investigators, adding “these investigations must be taken with the utmost seriousness, because we cannot allow corruption and illegal foreign influence to infect the government and media.”