Cindy Yang, Republican operative linked to Florida ‘sex spa’ scandal, opposed crackdown on foreign money at Donald Trump fundraisers, says ex-boss
- Cindy Yang quit a position with the Asian GOP when it banned foreigners from fundraisers, after a ‘messy’ event whose guests included Chinese executives
- Yang is a spa entrepreneur who once owned the Orchids of Asia massage parlour, where New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft allegedly received sex services
When South Florida day spa entrepreneur Cindy Yang started volunteering as a fundraiser for an Asian-American GOP political group, she was a whizz-bang event organiser with an entrepreneurial gift for making connections.
But Yang, a political novice, seemed to have a tenuous grasp of laws that prevent foreign money from entering US elections, said Cliff Li, executive director of the National Committee of Asian American Republicans. He said a “messy” New York fundraiser for President Donald Trump in 2017 led him to worry that his group could be used to worm foreign money into the president’s re-election campaign.
Shortly after that, Li imposed a new rule to bar anyone with the committee, also called the Asian GOP, from bringing foreign nationals to political fundraisers and said the group should focus more on policy than events.
Yang quit her fundraising position in response.
The Asian GOP’s measure went further than US law, which allows foreign nationals to attend political fundraisers so long as they do not pay for their entry or reimburse others for doing so. Only US citizens and permanent residents can contribute to American political campaigns.
“I wanted to make sure we distanced ourselves from possible bad actors,” Li told the Miami Herald.
