The Curious Case of a Chinese Communist Campaign Donor
Party members are inadmissible – so how did he get a visa?
By Dan Cadman on August 6, 2025
The Washington Free Beacon has an interesting story about a candidate for governor of Virginia, Abigail Spanberger (a former CIA official no less), who is alleged to have received a hefty political donation from one Pin Ni, a member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP):
The funding is perplexing given that Virginia law forbids foreign nationals from making political contributions, and Chinese law typically bans CCP members from holding foreign citizenship or permanent residency.
The article cites Pin’s many CCP ties, as well as his position atop the Chicago-based arm of a Chinese corporation. It goes on as follows:
National Legal and Policy Center chairman Peter Flaherty said Pin’s donation “raises many questions,” including whether Pin is a U.S. citizen and eligible to make political donations.
There are indeed a lot of questions worth asking. U.S. immigration law (8 U.S.C. Sec. 1182(a)(3)(D)(1)) is specific in stating unambiguously that:
https://cis.org/Cadman/Curious-Case-Chinese-Communist-Campaign-Donor