California Democratic gubernatorial nominee Xavier Becerra returns massive donation after Daily Mail investigation exposes how donor’s dad has deep CCP ties
California Democratic gubernatorial nominee Xavier Becerra has returned a $20,000 campaign donation from Alex Xu, the CEO of Lotusland Investment Holdings. The refund followed an investigation highlighting the donor’s father, Chinese developer Yiming Xu, and his links to Westlake University, described in the article as backed by the Chinese Communist Party.
Alex Xu and his father are developing the 23,000-acre Guenoc Valley project in California. In 2021, Becerra, then the state’s attorney general, intervened in environmental litigation over the project, citing wildfire risks; the intervention reportedly delayed its progress. Becerra’s campaign said it had no record of Alex Xu attending a fundraising event and had refunded the donation.
In short
- Becerra returned Alex Xu’s $20,000 campaign donation.
- The refund followed scrutiny of the donor’s family ties.
- Xu’s father is a trustee and donor to Westlake University.
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The case for
A campaign can reasonably decide that returning a lawful donation is prudent when reporting raises questions about a donor’s family connections to institutions linked to a foreign ruling party. The refund may help protect public confidence and avoid any appearance that the donor’s business interests could influence the candidate, particularly given Becerra’s earlier intervention in litigation affecting the family’s project.
The case against
A donor should not automatically be treated as a proxy for a parent, and reported institutional links do not by themselves establish improper conduct or influence. Critics could argue that returning the donation risks implying guilt by association and that voters should judge Becerra’s public actions and the donation on evidence of a connection, rather than on the donor’s family background.
Explained simply
Xavier Becerra is a California Democrat who has served as the state’s attorney general and is now running for governor. Campaign donations are contributions to help fund a candidate’s election effort, and rules require campaigns to report them.
Alex Xu leads Lotusland Investment Holdings, which is involved with his father, property developer Yiming Xu, in a large proposed development in Guenoc Valley. The story also concerns Yiming Xu’s reported links to Westlake University, which the article describes as backed by China’s Communist Party.
The project has faced environmental litigation, including concerns about wildfire risk. Becerra’s past role in that dispute and the reported connections of a campaign donor’s family have drawn attention to questions about political fundraising and potential conflicts of interest.
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