Why did the Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui fall under the radar of the American authorities not specify
U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials are conducting inspections against Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui and are collecting information on his cooperation with former U.S. presidential aide Stephen Bannon. This is stated in a piece published on Wednesday in The Wall Street Journal.
According to its sources, the FBI, together with the New York City prosecutor’s office, in particular, finds out how Guo Wengui received the money, which was later sent to fund a number of media outlets in the United States.
“Tests have been conducted for about six months now”,- the article said. It is not specified why the businessman came under the scrutiny of the American authorities. In 2014, he fled to the U.S. from China, where he is accused of corruption and illegal withdrawal of funds to their foreign accounts. The billionaire had previously criticized Beijing.
Bannon held a key position in Donald Trump’s campaign headquarters in 2016. He was later appointed to the position of chief strategist for the administration established at the White House. However, in August 2017, he decided to resign. The media then claimed that his relationship with Trump had seriously deteriorated. Bannon had previously expressed his support for right-wing and ultra-right associations.
The publication notes that after leaving the White House, Bannon began working as a consultant for Guo Media, a company associated with Guo Wengui. Trump’s former assistant signed a one-year contract in 2018, under which he was to receive $1 million. His responsibilities included establishing links between the company and celebrities. This contract was not renewed. Bannon and Guo Wengui jointly conducted a media campaign during which they called for an investigation into a number of Chinese officials, the newspaper said.
According to the publication’s sources, FBI officials spoke with people who have information about Guo Wengui’s companies. Authorities in particular are investigating “what sources of funds” Bannon received for his work at Guo Media. Representatives of the former assistant Trump told the newspaper that the bureau staff had not contacted him. Guo Wenguya’s lawyer also said the FBI had not contacted his client.
According to the newspaper, in 2017, FBI officers tried unsuccessfully to make Guo Wengui their informant. Representatives of the bureau refused to comment on the checks on the businessman.