One of the alleged Chinese operatives arrested for running a secret police station in New York City attended galas and dinners with top Democratic lawmakers, photos from the events show.
Lu Jianwang was arrested Monday on charges of running a "secret police station" for the Chinese Communist Party in Manhattan. Photos obtained by the Daily Caller reveal Lu appeared at fundraisers and other events with top Democrats including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), New York City mayor Eric Adams, and Rep. Grace Meng (N.Y.).
Prosecutors allege that Lu, along with Chen Jinping, ran an outpost in Chinatown for Chinese officials to spy and collect information on enemies of the regime.
"This prosecution reveals the Chinese government's flagrant violation of our nation's sovereignty by establishing a secret police station in the middle of New York City," federal prosecutor Breon Peace said in a statement.
Prosecutors said the two defendants deleted correspondence with Chinese officials after they learned they were under investigation.
The photographs come as a federal watchdog found that U.S. officials don’t know how much taxpayer money is making its way to the CCP. The U.S. Government Accountability Office said data on money to China are "incomplete and sometimes inaccurate."
Schumer and Adams are not the only prominent Democrats to have had contact with alleged Chinese spies. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D., Calif.) famously had a years-long relationship with suspected CCP spy Fang Fang, who worked as a fundraiser on his campaign.