The following contains content which is editorial in nature and reflects the opinion of the writer.
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WASHINGTON, DC- One thing we’ve learned over the past 13 months…Liz Cheney (R-WY) is an abject hypocrite, if nothing else.
Now it’s being reported that Cheney’s husband Philip Perry, is a partner at Latham & Watkins, which works on behalf of a number of foreign entities with some identified as threats to U.S. national security.
Cheney of course is famously one of only two Republicans on the Pelosi inquisition team looking into the January 6 “insurrection.” Cheney has referred to the incident as one of the “greatest threats to democracy” in our history. That of course is absurd.
Cheney has also been an outspoken critic of China, saying the communist nation poses a “generational threat” to the United States, speaking out about the country’s “malign behavior,” while at the same time Perry was working on behalf of companies linked to China’s military, intelligence, and security services, according to Free Republic.
While Cheney grandstanded at the podium, Perry’s law firm was engaged in legal and lobbying work for a number of Chinese companies, some of which were involved in the exact same activity Cheney was claiming needed to be stopped.
To be clear, none of the work Latham & Watkins was involved in appeared to be illegal, nor did Cheney’s husband work directly on the accounts. Regardless of that, Perry is a partner and as such benefits from the work his firm is conducting on behalf of the Chinese communists.
Cheney has repeatedly called for the United States to stand up to dictatorial regimes such as China, slamming Beijing for its human rights abuses and authoritarian rule.
With that in mind, Perry’s work for China seems to fly in the face of Cheney’s public comments. This is of course nothing new in the swamp known as Washington, D.C., where couples such as Cheney-Perry often profit from the very behavior the political half often condemns.
This wasn’t lost on former White House chief of staff and U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows:
“It’s the kind of say one thing do another that Americans hate in Washington, D.C. Liz Cheney will have a lot of explaining to do to the Wyoming voters.”
This is of course nothing new. Law Enforcement Today recently reported on Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and her husband and son, who have profited handsomely from China. Likewise, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and her husband have also realized tidy profits from Beijing. So too have Joe Biden and his family.
Last September, House Republicans announced the final version of an extensive report conducted by the China Task Force, which was comprised of 15 members of Congress, including ironically Cheney.
The review looked at the “multifaceted threat” to the United States posed by the Chinese communists.
“China is rapidly developing a military force that is capable of winning regional conflicts and they’re expanding their military footprint globally,” Cheney said at a press conference.
“The government of China and the Chinese Communist Party have gone to school on the United States—they’ve looked at our capabilities…and they have developed capabilities to counter those.”
Cheney said the United States “must counter the Chinese Communist Party globally” as it expands its infrastructure around the globe, “as it seeks to project its own military power.”
Cheney spoke about the “battle between freedom and totalitarianism.” She said it was up to the U.S. and our allies if we were to “set the rules of the road” or if the CCP would do so.
Sounds pretty tough, right? Meanwhile Cheney’s husband’s firm was working with Chinese tech company Tencent, advising them to become a shareholder in Voodoo, a leading video game developer.
Beijing has designated Tencent as one of 15 companies “to facilitate industry—wide coordination” with the Chinese government on artificial intelligence, according to a Pentagon report to Congress last year.
AI is believed, according to analysts, to be poised to play a “game-changing” role in China’s military innovation and future warfare strategy, while noting it already appears to be making a difference.
According to the CIA, Tencent received funding from the Chinese Ministry of State Security early in its foundation while they were in the process of building the so-called “Great Firewall,” designed to censor the internet inside the communist country.
Latham & Watkins has represented the company on a number of occasions while Tencent has been involved in dual use applications which have both civilian and military applications.
RWR Advisory Group notes that “dual use applications have been designated by the Chinese government as strategic military resources and key to civil-military fusion efforts.”
Experts have noted, Free Republic writes, that “what’s meant for civilian use and military application is non-existent in China.”
That point was made clear by Craig Singleton, an adjunct China fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies:
“While the U.S. government often twists itself into knots determining what is classified or unclassified, the Chinese government often sees little-to-no distinction,” he said.
“Instead, Beijing is focused on collecting and harnessing any and all useful information to power its defense modernization. This includes everything from foundational knowledge taught on U.S. college campuses to cutting edge research, much of which is not technically classified but still has potential military applications.”
Latham & Watkins has also advised another highly questionable Chinese company…Alibaba. That company is yet another Chinese tech firm which is also engaged in the pursuit of cutting-edge technological research with military applications.
Free Republic noted the Pentagon and the State Department have expressed concern over both Alibaba and Tencent sharing data on U.S citizens with the Chinese government.
Last year, the Trump administration had considered prohibiting Americans from investigating in either company over concerns of ties to the Chinese military and security services. However, they ultimately backed down after the Treasury Department grew concerned about possible economic fallout.
Latham & Watkins have also done legal and lobbying work for a number of other companies in both Hong Kong and mainland China, according to press releases from the firm’s China Practice. They have helped foment billion dollar deals for not only Tencent but other Chinese companies.
“Well, I guess Joe Biden and Hunter Biden aren’t the only politicians in the swamp who are doing deals with the Chinese Communist Party,” said Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) in an interview. “It’s exactly the kind of thing that everyday Americans are sick and tired of.”
The China Task Force report, endorsed by Cheney, called for divesting from the very companies whom her husband’s law firm represent.
According to the report, “the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] controls every aspect of government business, society, and personal life,” while noting that China’s “entire civil government is subservient to the CCP.”
“All companies are required to establish CCP cells in their operations and support CCP security agencies,” the report read. “The CCP embeds its members in every company and organization.”
China isn’t the only country with sketchy human rights records which has been represented by Latham & Watkins.
As an example, the law firm advised a company called Etihad Etisalat, or Mobily, a leading Saudi telecommunications operator in connection with a $200 million facility made available by Export Development Canada.
In another case, they agreed to lobby on behalf of the Ministry of Justice for the Republic of Kazakhstan, which required it to be registered as a foreign agent with the Justice Department under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
As of the report, Latham & Watkins has earned over $111,000 from that country for its lobbing services.
According to Human Rights Watch, that nation “heavily restricts freedom of assembly, speech and religion,” while imprisoning outspoken opponents of its government.
“A leadership change in Kazakhstan in 2019 did not significantly improve respect for human rights,” Human Rights Watch wrote in 2020. They added that a 2019 election experienced a number of irregularities, with government authorities responding to peaceful protests surrounding the elections with mass detentions and “intensified harassment of perceived or actual opposition members.”
It should be noted that the aforementioned Hunter Biden had also targeted China and Kazakhstan for business while his daddy was serving as vice president.
Latham & Watkins had also agreed to lobby for the Republic of Belarus back in 1993-94, while at that time the nation had not held elections nor approved a new constitution after declaring independence after the fall of the former Soviet Union.
In a statement, Perry attempted to clarify his country’s role with foreign entities.
“I have not personally represented China, an entity owned by China, Kazakhstan, or Belarus,” he said. “I have not registered on behalf of any foreign entity under the Foreign Agents Registration Act at any point in time.”
Free Republic notes that Latham & Watkins doesn’t appear on the FARA list as representing the government of China.
“Any use of my name by my former law firm in a registration filed 31 years ago for the Embassy of Belgium was in error,” Perry claimed, in reference to his name being listed on a FARA filing by his ex-employer, Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, in the early 90s.
Liz Cheney’s office did not respond to comments for the story.
Cheney has been one of the most outspoken critics of former President Trump and his supporters, many of whom merely trespassed on US Capitol property on January 6, 2021. She has accused Trump and his supporters of “undermining American democracy.”
Meanwhile, Cheney and her husband appear to have been profiting over his firm’s alliance with, in part, Chinese communists. Latham & Watkins claims to be the second-highest grossing law firm in the world; according to the firm, its profit per equity partner is $4,520,000.
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