The Republican National Committee (RNC) and Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears attacked Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger for receiving $50,000 from an individual whom they say is a member of the Chinese Communist Party. That individual, Pin Ni, has given money to many Republicans in the past, including $30,000 to the RNC since 2018, and $37,550 to the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) since 2019.
The RNC pushed the hit, and Fox News published a story without mentioning the donations from Ni to the RNC, NRCC, or a long list of Republicans.
Ni is the president of Wanxiang America Corporation, a Chinese-owned auto parts company based in Chicago. He serves as the executive vice president for the China-based parent company, Wanxiang Group.
Republicans claim Spanberger broke the law by accepting donations from a foreign national. However, public records show Ni was issued a Social Security number in 1992. While that does not confirm U.S. citizenship, it indicates he held at least a green card—making political contributions legal.
Even if that weren’t true, the RNC, the NRCC, former Vice President Mike Pence and several other Republicans who received donations from Ni would have broken the law with Spanberger.
“Virginians know that Abigail Spanberger has a demonstrated record of standing up for America’s national security, delivering results for Virginia families across party lines, and never backing down from keeping the American people safe,” said Spanberger spokesperson Libby Wiet. “Her campaign will remain focused on what Virginians care about most — keeping our communities safe, driving down costs, protecting Virginia jobs, and making sure Virginia’s public schools are the very best in America.”
The Earle-Sears campaign declined to comment. They did send a story from the Washington Free Beacon out as a press release, however. That article does not mention the Republican groups receiving money from Ni.
The Free Beacon story does have a comment from an Earle-Sears spokesman that was not named. “Taking $50,000 from someone with clear Chinese Communist Party ties tells us all we need to know,” said the spokesman. “You can’t claim to stand up to foreign threats while pocketing money from someone celebrated by the CCP.”
The RNC and the NRCC did not immediately respond when Virginia Scope reached out for comment about the money they received from Ni.