Staff Reports
President Joe Biden’s recent rally in Monterey Park, California, to promote his executive order on gun control was marred by his photo-op with Ma “Derek” Shurong, a member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intelligence front group, the China Overseas Exchange Association (COEA). This troubling connection was revealed by an analysis of video footage from the event by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
3/14/2023 – Monterey Park, CA
After @POTUS announced an exec. order on guns, he stopped to chat & take photos w/ Ma "Derek" Shurong pic.twitter.com/jVvJo3mAT3
— Philip Lenczycki 蔡岳 (@LenczyckiPhilip) March 17, 2023
Ma is also listed as a member of the China Overseas Friendship Association (COFA), which merged with COEA in 2019. Chinese intelligence experts have told the DCNF that both organizations serve the United Front Work Department (UFWD), a CCP “intelligence service” that conducts “influence operations” and “intelligence collection” abroad, according to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC).
Biden Poses For Photo With Member Of Alleged Chinese Intel Front Group At Los Angeles Gun Control Rally https://t.co/1eayAVffgt
— US Burning (@UsBurning) March 17, 2023
The rally was also attended by California Democratic Rep. Judy Chu, who has been criticized for her ties to alleged UFWD front groups and their respective members, including Ma. Chu has awarded Ma at least five certificates of “Congressional Recognition” since 2013, according to multiple Chinese-language news reports. Ma has also donated $3,975 to Chu between 2009 and 2022, a time period which, in part, overlaps with Ma’s membership in both COEA and COFA, campaign finance records show.
Biden’s photo-op with Ma and Chu’s ties to him raise questions about the Biden administration’s relationship with the CCP and its intelligence front groups. It is particularly concerning that Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who met Biden at LAX airport when he landed, has ties to alleged UFWD front groups as well. Bass has met with representatives from the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) in February and appointed Dominic Ng, a member of COEA and COFA, an honorary co-chair of her Mayoral Transition Advisory Team on Dec. 6. Ng has also donated $100,000 to the Biden Victory Fund and $35,500 to the Democratic National Committee in 2020.
These troubling connections between Biden and his administration’s allies and CCP intelligence front groups should be investigated further. It is unacceptable for the leader of the free world to be associated with organizations that seek to undermine American values and interests. The American people deserve to know if their president is putting their safety at risk by associating with organizations that are hostile to the United States.
