I’m asking more questions than I have answers for, but now that we have your attention, I have to admit that *I* don’t have actual proof. That said, another website that many of you may know well and respect (a daily read for me), Conservative Treehouse (The Last Refuge) has “something.”
On a post, at the bottom of “Who is Taking the Beijing Bribes?…” they reference something from ODNI John Ratcliffe backed up with a Chinese document found by left-leaning Axios found (reformatted, emphasis mine):
ODNI John Ratcliffe made an interesting, frightening & stunningly open direct statement yesterday when he described intelligence evidence that China is putting on a full-court press against governors and local officials to retain their influence campaign in 2020. Essentially what DNI Ratcliffe described boils down to Beijing threatening economic blackmail against U.S. officials who were comfortable being reliant on local Chinese investment and purchases of U.S. companies, assents and interests.
With that stark statement in mind; and keeping the full national security ramifications in the forefront; it is worth remembering a foreboding speech given by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in February. This is specifically important now against the backdrop of how some U.S. politicians appear to be reacting to the COVID-19 challenges, perhaps even weaponizing the virus to achieve political objectives; and with a perspective toward the way media outlets, some businesses and many politicians appear to be influenced by China. The background context for this speech takes on an entirely new dimension.
Pompeo’s remarks were made to the National Governors Association (NGA) Feb 8, 2020; and there’s an interesting segment where Pompeo reveals his awareness of a list of U.S. governors compiled by China’s communist party; and their alignment with China’s interests. A transcript of the key excerpt from his speech is provided (watch the video at the link).
With that as a background, now read the pertinent part of the Pompeo transcript:
[Transcript at 01:45] […] “Last year, I received an invitation to an event that promised to be, quote, “an occasion for exclusive deal-making.” It said, quote, “the opportunities for mutually beneficial economic development between China and our individual states [are] tremendous,” end of quote.” “Deal-making sounds like it might have come from President Trump, but the invitation was actually from a former governor.
I was being invited to the U.S.-China Governors’ Collaboration Summit. It was an event co-hosted by the National Governors Association and something called the Chinese People’s Association For Friendship and Foreign Countries. Sounds pretty harmless. What the invitation did not say is that the group – the group I just mentioned – is the public face of the Chinese Communist Party’s official foreign influence agency, the United Front Work Department….
…But it got me thinking.
- How many of you made the link between that group and Chinese Communist Party officials?
- What if you made a new friend while you were at that event?
- What if your new friend asked you for introductions to other politically connected and powerful people?
- What if your new friend offered to invest big money in your state, perhaps in your pension, in industries sensitive to our national security?
These aren’t hypotheticals. These scenarios are all too true, and they impact American foreign policy significantly. Indeed, last year, a Chinese Government-backed think tank in Beijing produced a report that assessed all 50 of America’s governors on their attitudes towards China. They labeled each of you “friendly,” “hardline,” or “ambiguous.” I’ll let you decide where you think you belong. Someone in China already has. Many of you, indeed, in that report are referenced by name.
So here’s the lesson: The lesson is that competition with China is not just a federal issue. It’s why I wanted to be here today, Governor Hogan. It’s happening in your states with consequences for our foreign policy, for the citizens that reside in your states, and indeed, for each of you. And, in fact, whether you are viewed by the CCP as friendly or hardline, know that it’s working you, know that it’s working the team around you.
And that document that mentions NH Governor Chris Sununu? Here’s the relevant part?
…Axios had an article earlier this year which included the Chinese Communist Party Report [Cloud pdf Here] that Secretary Pompeo was describing in February.
Relevant Part – Rating Methodology:
- The governors — categorized as hardline, friendly, or unclear/unknown position — were further analyzed by age, gender, political affiliation, and work history, and their respective states by economic size, geographic location, and level of trade with China.
- The report did not find a correlation between a U.S. state’s trade with China and the respective governor’s perceived attitude towards China.
- According to the report, the views of the six governors rated as “hardline” were largely due to “human rights and other issues,” rather than trade.
- The findings provide insight into how Beijing sees U.S. politics and its place in it. The ratings below should be taken as subjective
Relevant Part – The bottom line:
- China’s state-funded research ecosystem is placing a growing emphasis on nuanced analysis of U.S. domestic politics amid Chinese government efforts to quietly reshape America’s China policy from the ground up.
Relevant Part – Chris Sununu rating:
Now, I can’t read Mandarin so I have no idea what the numeric column really is; it ain’t our GDP. I also don’t know if a low score is good or bad. But if the Chinese Communists think that Chris Sununu is “friendly” to the ChiComs, that can’t be a good thing for a whole host of reasons I can think of. And Sundance gives up one of them:
When we originally shared the information CTH specifically noted the importance of watching how and when each of these governors responded to their economy when contrast against the COVID-19 narrative.
In the beginning, we gave him a pass. When it became clear that NH was not as much at risk as other States, he refused to relent on his Emergency Orders and Power per state statute.
Sidenote: Somebody brought up to me that the Supreme Court’s ruling in the John Burt suit against NH House Speaker for the new Rule banning guns being afoul of the NH (and US) Constitution by overreach. The lower court judge got slapped hard in being told to do a redo in that Legislative Rules do NOT trump Constitutional Rights.
Can the same be made of the RSA that gave Sununu the new title of “Elected King” whereby “guidance” became the new Law outside of the Legislative process? A strict reading of what the Governor’s Powers are in this regard:
Art.] 41. [Governor, Supreme Executive Magistrate.] There shall be a supreme executive magistrate, who shall be styled the Governor of the State of New Hampshire, and whose title shall be His Excellency. The executive power of the state is vested in the governor. The governor shall be responsible for the faithful execution of the laws. He may, by appropriate court action or proceeding brought in the name of the state, enforce compliance with any constitutional or legislative mandate, or restrain violation of any constitutional or legislative power, duty, or right, by any officer, department or agency of the state. This authority shall not be construed to authorize any action or proceedings against the legislative or judicial branches.
Note that a “Guidance”, something he’s been whipping out faster than I can eat ice cream (which is prodigious in my own right) is neither a Constitutional or Legislative mandate. To be able to issue his own Mandate is not within his Power. More on this later.
Back to the TreeHouse post:
Specifically, and anticipating the value of COVID as a leftist weapon to achieve their political objectives, we asked: “will there be a correlation to how the states respond that is directly related to their CCP alignment? It appears we have enough evidence to say yes, there is a connection. Review the list(s) yourself and make your own decision.
Certainly the current situation cannot be used as justification for ANY lockdown at this point – yet it continues. What we have seen is a constant movement of the goalposts – from “flatten the curve” to almost “there will be NO more hospitalizations and there will be no more deaths”. Guidances are following suit.
We have now experienced, since March, a free experiment in Socialism that no one asked for. Now, we are moving towards Totalitarianism with towns and cities putting in mandatory mask orders with fines totally out of line – seriously, a $1,000 fine? With the implied coerced thinking being promulgated of “If I don’t wear a mask, I’ll kill everyone around me” – the data supports NONE of it.
But here we are. Compared to what the ChiComs are doing to the Uighurs, it’s not much. Compared to what the ChiComs are doing to the Freedom loving Hong Kongers, it’s not much.
Compared to the Freedoms that our forefathers fought and died for? Most of his actions have been a big deal in top-down, command and control Government. He has taken on BOTH the Executive AND Legislative Branches all on his own say so.
Sidenote: The House and the Senate COULD have voted to end the Emergency that Sununu invoked. They decided to punt, so for all of the Democrat yammering about his actions, they could have stopped him in his tracks.
Resuling in a Really A Big Deal compared to our heritage, philosophy, and legal mores.
We know that while he appears to be “nice” to Trump, he’s no Trump supporter. I’d say a closet Never Trumper trying hard to walk a fine line. And we know that the ChiComs desperately want Trump gone and fast. They understand that the best way to keep Trump from being re-elected is a poor economy; continued lockdowns keep the economy slow. Accounts say that over 300 small business have already been shut down – many are on the same path and will soon join them. Others are barely treading water. Few are thriving.
He’s playing his polling numbers against the economy – he knows the former trump the latter for him but not so much for Trump.
So my question is, readers, what are your thoughts – and I’ll ask for a crowdsource: start finding some information, for or against this premise – is being judged a “Friendly” by the ChiComs a good thing for us in NH? A good thing for a Trump re-election?
Like I said, more questions than I have answers for. And he refuses to debate.
Of course, another question is whether or not, even if there was one, if Adam Sexton has the cojones to go here. Or would Left leaning WMUR even LET him ask such a question as I am.
