KELLY CLARK EXPOSES CHINA’S INFLUENCE IN WISCONSIN POLITICS

BOUND TO THE RED DRAGON
CHINA’S INFLUENCE IN WISCONSIN POLITICS

INTRO

● I believe the information I'm about to share is vital—not just for our district, but for our entire state
and country.
● We've invested hundreds of hours researching and gathering this information, and I strongly
encourage each of you to take it home and read it thoroughly.
● While I'll provide an overview now, understanding the full details is important.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
● The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has developed sophisticated strategies to advance its global
political and economic agenda.
● One of their key tactics involves using cultural and economic outreach programs that specifically
target local U.S. leaders and state legislators.
● This is how their influence can quietly spread into our government without most people noticing.
THIS BRINGS US TO ASSEMBLY SPEAKER VOS
● Since 2013, Speaker Vos has been involved with an organization called the State Legislative
Leaders Foundation, or SLLF.
○ He has served as the organization's vice-chair for nearly a decade.
○ The SLLF describes itself as a nonpartisan group that offers educational programs on public
policy and leadership development for state legislators. On the surface, this seems beneficial.
● Concerns arise when we consider that, in 2015, the SLLF established a "permanent partnership"
with an organization called the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign
Countries. For simplicity, I’ll refer to it as the "Chinese Friendship Organization."
○ Despite its friendly name, this organization is a known arm of the Chinese Communist
Party (CCP). Its mission is to build relationships with foreign leaders and influential
individuals—not for mutual benefit, but to advance China's global interests

HUNTER BIDEN'S LAPTOP
You might recall the story of Hunter Biden's laptop because it was emails discovered on this laptop that
added additional pieces to this puzzle:
● Several years ago, he left it at a repair shop, and it eventually ended up with the FBI.
● The emails revealed that James Bulger—nephew of mobster Whitey Bulger and a close business
associate of Hunter Biden—was actively working to connect the Chinese Friendship
Organization with the SLLF. These communications exposed coordinated efforts to establish
relationships between Chinese officials and American state political leaders, including some
right here in Wisconsin.
● Further emails indicated that Hunter Biden and his business partners were helping this Chinese
organization gain a foothold in the United States, all while his father was serving as vice president.
PERMANENT PARTNERSHIP
● Since this alliance was established, the SLLF and the Chinese Friendship Organization have held
numerous meetings around the world, all focused on strengthening ties and advancing shared
interests. Robin Vos has attended several of these meetings.
○ The most recent meeting on record occurred virtually in 2021.
GROWING CONCERNS REGARDING CHINA’S INFLUENCE IN THE US.
● By 2018, the Trump administration began raising alarms about China’s increasing efforts to influence
U.S. state politics.

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● These concerns escalated further in September 2020, when then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
visited Wisconsin during the pandemic to deliver a critical message to state legislators. Robin Vos
was among those in attendance that day.
Pompeo stated: "We see it all over America in sister-city programs—like those in Door County, La Crosse,
Milwaukee, and Richland Center. They fall under the authority of the Chinese People’s Association for
Friendship with Foreign Countries. It sounds benign, but this group is part of China’s United Front Work
Department—the CCP’s official propaganda tool. It’s one of the CCP’s three 'Magic Weapons,' along with
'armed struggle' and 'party-building,' in Chairman Mao's words."
IGNORING THE WARNING: CONTINUED PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CCP
● Pompeo’s warning made one thing unmistakably clear: the Chinese Friendship Organization is not
harmless. It’s a tool of the CCP, designed to spread influence and propaganda in the U.S.
● Before Secretary Pompeo’s 2020 visit, Speaker Vos might have claimed ignorance of the Chinese
Friendship Organization’s deep ties to the CCP. However, after Pompeo’s explicit warning, one
would expect Vos to reassess this partnership. Yet, despite this clear caution, the SLLF’s partnership
with the Chinese Friendship Organization continued. In 2021, they held their fifth joint forum, again
focusing on strengthening ties.
● Interestingly, up until this spring, the SLLF website openly displayed a “Memorandum of
Understanding” that formalized a permanent partnership with the Chinese Friendship Organization.
○ Thankfully, with tools like the Wayback Machine, the original webpage can still be accessed,
preserving a clear record of this connection.

SO, WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
● Consider Assembly Bill 269, introduced in 2023 to safeguard Wisconsin’s agricultural interests. The
bill aimed to prohibit foreign adversaries, particularly Chinese entities, from acquiring agricultural
and forestry land in our state.
● This legislation was a direct response to growing concerns about foreign investment in American
farmland, particularly the fears of foreign control and its implications for national security and
economic stability.
● In the past one to two years, many states have strengthened their laws to address these concerns,
especially as China continues to acquire farmland, land near military installations, and land close to
critical infrastructure.
INFLUENCE AND INACTION: QUESTIONING THE MOTIVES BEHIND AB269’S FAILURE
● Despite the significance of this issue, AB 269 failed to advance in the Assembly.
○ For context, as Speaker, Robin Vos holds significant—some might even say
complete—control over which bills are brought forward for discussion and a vote.
○ Now that I’ve shown you the connection between the SLLF and the Chinese Friendship
Organization—a known arm of the Chinese Communist Party—the obvious question arises:
Did Speaker Vos’s affiliations influence this decision? And what other legislative decisions
might have been affected by these connections?

Public service is a sacred responsibility. When leaders form questionable alliances, they erode public trust
and threaten the very foundation of our government.
When that trust is broken, it casts doubt on all leaders and weakens our entire system of governance. The
affiliations I’ve discussed today clearly blur the line that ensures public officials serve their constituents—not
foreign or private interests.
Robin Vos owes the people of Wisconsin a full explanation of his role in this partnership and whether it
influenced his decision on Assembly Bill 269—a bill aimed at safeguarding our state's resources from
foreign control. When the integrity of our leadership is at risk, silence is not an option.
The future of our state, the security of our resources, and the trust of our people hang in the balance. We must
demand accountability and transparency from those we elect to serve us.