Senator Mark Kelly Has Concerning Business Ties to China

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 29: U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) listens during a news conference ou
Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images, AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
Spencer Lindquist

Senator Mark Kelly from Arizona, who is up for reelection in November, has a number of concerning business ties to China.

Kelly was the cofounder of a company called World View Enterprises, that garnered investments from a company that is closely linked to the Chinese Communist Party.

World View Enterprises received investments in 2014 and again in 2016 from Tencent Holdings, a Chinese company that owns the communication platform WeChat. The communication platform, which has over a billion users, is suspected of surveilling the activity of its users. 

WeChat also censored information related to the coronavirus during the height of the pandemic, and Tencent suspended its stream of National Basketball Association games after the general manager of the Houston Rockets praised protests in favor of democracy in Hong Kong.

The United Nations backed out of a deal with Tencent over concerns that the company aids Beijing in its surveillance efforts. 

The Associated Press

In this Sept. 5, 2020 photo, people look at a display from Chinese technology firm Tencent at the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Kelly reportedly has a significant financial stake in World View Enterprises and one of his daughters works there as the company’s business opportunities manager. Real Clear Politics also reported that Kelly has received at least $5,000 from David Wallerstein, Tencent’s chief exploration officer.

Hundreds of basketball fans gather in Wan Chai Southorn Playground to show support of the Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey on October 15, 2019, in Hong Kong (Lampson Yip/Getty Images)

In addition to his ties to Tencent, Kelly also served on the advisory board of Boom Technology, a supersonic aircraft company that partnered with Trip.com Group Unlimited, a Chinese, state-funded company. 

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - AUGUST 01: Republican U.S. senatorial candidate Blake Masters speaks at a campaign event on the eve of the primary, also attended by gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake at the Duce bar on August 01, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona. Masters, who has the blessing of former President Donald Trump, has seen his lead in the polls in recent days extend to double digits among likely GOP voters over businessman Jim Lamon and state Attorney General Mark Brnovich. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Mark Kelly will be facing off against Trump endorsed Republican candidate Blake Masters (pictured) in November. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Kelly has denied that he was an “advisory board member” despite saying that he served as one from 2015 to 2019 in a financial disclosure, the Washington Free Beacon reported. 

The outlet also reported that Kelly had between $115,000 and $300,000 worth of private stock in the company as of 2019.

Additionally, Mark Kelly may have violated a federal transparency law by waiting to disclose his financial stake in Boom Technology. The move was cited by Fox Business as a “possible violation of the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act of 2012.”

Kelly was also the spokesperson for Shaklee, a multi-level marketing scheme that sold vitamins and weight loss supplements. Kelly had a speaking engagement in China on behalf of the company. 

Kelly will be facing off against Trump endorsed Republican candidate Blake Masters in November. 

Spencer Lindquist is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerLndqst and reach out at slindquist@breitbart.com

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.