Visa Program Allegedly Exploited by China to Funnel Money Into Democratic Campaigns, Schweizer Book Reveals
A U.S. immigration visa initiative established decades ago may have been quietly exploited to channel foreign-linked money into Democratic political campaigns, particularly during the Clinton era, according to investigative journalist Peter Schweizer’s book “The Invisible Coup: How American Elites and Foreign Powers Use Immigration as a Weapon.”
Schweizer’s reporting centers on the Employment-Based Fifth Preference visa, known as EB-5, which Congress enacted in 1990 with the stated goal of attracting foreign investment and creating American jobs. The program allows foreign nationals to obtain lawful permanent residency by investing at least $1.05 million — or $800,000 in designated high-unemployment areas — and creating a minimum of ten U.S. jobs.
According to the book, the EB-5 program was shaped and promoted by individuals who later surfaced in major campaign finance scandals tied to Democratic politics in the 1990s. Schweizer identifies Maria Hsia and John Huang as early advocates of the program, both of whom later became deeply involved in fundraising controversies during the 1996 election cycle that benefited then-President Bill Clinton.
A Senate investigation at the time concluded that Hsia operated as an agent of the Chinese government while concealing her foreign affiliations as she organized political donations. Huang later pleaded guilty in 1999 to conspiracy charges related to illegal campaign fundraising.
The book also revisits the role of James Riady, whose family’s financial dealings were connected to improper campaign contributions during the same period. In the aftermath of these revelations, the Democratic Party returned more than $1 million in donations deemed unlawful.
Schweizer argues that the EB-5 system created a legal loophole that allowed foreign nationals — particularly from communist China — to gain permanent residency and then donate to U.S. political campaigns, something foreign citizens are otherwise prohibited from doing under federal law. His research highlights the case of Danhong “Jean” Chen, a Chinese national and EB-5 visa broker whose business allegedly routed hundreds of thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates. Chen and her husband were later indicted on charges including visa fraud and identity theft, and Chen reportedly fled the country before she could be arrested.
According to Schweizer, Chinese investors made up a significant portion of EB-5 participants, and some firms openly marketed the program by boasting of access to powerful American political figures. The book raises alarms about national security risks stemming from both the scale of foreign capital involved and the program’s access to sensitive U.S. infrastructure projects.
Schweizer also notes glaring inconsistencies in Beijing’s enforcement of capital controls. While China officially limits citizens to transferring no more than $50,000 abroad annually, EB-5 recruitment firms operate openly inside the country despite visa investment requirements that far exceed that amount — a contradiction Schweizer suggests points to tacit approval by Chinese authorities.
The book further examines Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential primary campaign, which received clusters of donations totaling thousands of dollars from New York City’s Chinatown. Investigators later found that many listed donors lived in severely deteriorated buildings, raising questions about the true source of the funds. Subsequent inquiries indicated that some Chinese donors were directed by neighborhood associations to support Clinton’s campaign.
Schweizer reports that several of those community groups maintained ties to the United Front Work Department, a Chinese Communist Party entity tasked with advancing Beijing’s political influence abroad.
Taken together, Schweizer concludes that the EB-5 visa system — allegedly designed and promoted by figures linked to the Chinese Communist Party — has served for decades as a vehicle through which Beijing-linked interests could inject opaque political funding into American elections.
As these revelations resurface, congressional scrutiny of the Clinton political orbit is intensifying. On Wednesday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted to advance two resolutions holding former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with subpoenas tied to the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal network and its connections to powerful public figures.
The move represents a significant escalation in the House’s investigation and marks the first time Congress has pursued contempt citations simultaneously against a former president and a former cabinet official.
Subpoenas issued by the committee’s Federal Law Enforcement Subcommittee on July 23, 2025, required both Clintons to testify regarding their past associations with Epstein. Lawmakers say the testimony is essential to determine whether federal agencies failed to act on credible leads related to Epstein and his network of influential associates.