The Washington Free Beacon revealed on Tuesday that Secretary Raimondo’s husband, Andy Moffit, is a top executive at artificial intelligence company PathAI. PathAI has received financial contributions from Danhua Capital, a California-based company that receives financial support from the Chinese Communist Party.
Danhua initially invested in PathAI in 2017 when it joined five other firms to contribute $11 million to the then-startup. It’s unclear whether or how much Danhua has invested in PathAI since, but the venture capital firm includes PathAI as one of its featured “biotech & health” holdings on its website.
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Back in 2018, Reuters reported that Danhua Capital was established and funded by the Chinese government as part of its “penetration of Silicon Valley.” House Republicans wrote the following:
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As the Secretary of Commerce, an agency central to America’s competition with China, particularly when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI), this revelation is deeply concerning and raises significant questions about obvious conflicts of interest and our strategic interests to lead on AI.
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Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Morgan Griffith (R-VA.), and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) all signed the letter addressed to Raimondo.
The Republican representatives highlighted a recent Wall Street Journal report that stated, “leaders at the Commerce Department remain opposed” to adding more Chinese tech companies to the Treasury’s list of banned U.S. investments.
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In September, Raimondo was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal, in which she advocated for “robust commercial engagement” with China. In addition, she also opposed urging American companies to pull their advertising dollars out of the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics. “What individual companies do is entirely up to them. We’re not going to pressure them one way or another,” Raimondo went on to say.
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The Republicans requested Raimondo answer a series of 11 questions that aim to help better understand the Secretary and her husband’s ties to China.
“Have you or your staff contacted anyone on the National Economic Council regarding PathAI?” one of the questions asked. “Have you or your staff taken any meetings with any company or entity at the request of anyone from PathAI?” another asked.
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The three Republicans asked Raimodo if she agreed that the People’s Republic of China poses a “humanitarian, national security, and economic security threat to the United States.”
They also called for Raimodo to outline the specific policies she has in place to ensure her husband or PathAI do not influence her or her staff.
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