Ted Cruz Blasts WHCA For Letting in Propagandist for China
Earlier this week, after being asked a question by a female Hong Kong Phoenix TV reporter, Trump questioned who she worked for, and if they were owned by the Chinese government. She denied that she worked for China, and said that the company was privately owned.
And she’s “technically” correct. The company is private…. but shares the Chinese government as an investor, and is majority owned by those sharing their interests.
According to Phoenix TV’s ownership breakdown, founding chairman Liu Changle, a “former People’s Libertarian Army propaganda official who is close to senior Chinese government leaders,” owns 37.1% of the shares. Another 20% of the network is owned by Extra Step Investments Limited, which is owned by China Mobile Hong Kong, which is owned by China mobile…. which is owned by (you guessed it) the Chinese government.
So in other words, 65% of the company is controlled by the Chinese government and a sympathizer to them.
Why was a de-facto propagandist for China allowed in the press briefing room in the first place, when they won’t even allow OAN in? Ted Cruz wants to know, and put the White House Correspondents Association on blast for allowing it.
2/x From my letter to the FCC: “H&H Capital assists PRC companies with finding strategic investors from around the globe” and “work[s] with Chinese companies interested in buying U.S. companies or the Chinese rights to U.S. brands.”
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 7, 2020
4/x “…Radio Free Asia recently reported that Ms. Huo worked in NY as a correspondent for Global Times, which is owned by the People’s Daily, an official newspaper of the CPC, registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.”
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 7, 2020
6/x “…Anne Marie-Brady…at Wilson Center said ‘Phoenix is nominally privately-owned; however its current main investor is the State-owned enterprise China Mobile.’ In 2016…Phoenix BROADCAST THE FORCED CONFESSIONS of 5 Hong Kong booksellers for violating PRC censorship law.”
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 7, 2020
8/x So to recap, the WH Correspondents Assoc gave a seat at the WH press briefing to an employee of the Chinese Communist govt, to ask globally televised Qs to POTUS, at the same time China is waging a propaganda campaign to hide their culpability & coverup of the Wuhan virus?!? pic.twitter.com/lJYjdqqEFe
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 7, 2020
Given how uncritically the media has been repeating China’s talking points, I suppose it’s not all surprising they’d allow one of their propagandists to join them in person.